Guide you home
by Tobina
Summary: As a Level 5s Sentinel and skillful detective, Shinichi helps the Tokyo PD whenever they get stuck with a case, his Guide Ran at his side to ground him when needed. After a KID heist, it becomes clear that Guides are dissapearing and Shinichi and his western counterpart Heiji are knee-deep into the case, especially because this one hits far too close to home. (Sentinel/Guide AU)
1. Case Ikeda Sayuri

**A/N:** So, for my first NaNoWriMo, I tried my hand at a **Sentinel/Guide/Neutral AU**. I got the inspiration after reading the stories from Phantom_echo on ao3, so if you are interested in this AU, check out that profile.

I mostly base the information about Sentinels/Guides for my AU on that, though I changed/added a few things as the whole SGN thing doesn't seem to be as structured as for example the A/O/B verse, where one can find so many information about.

I tried watching the TV show ‚The Sentinel' but didn't find it very appealing. It's more the concept that intrigues me, so please don't expect this to go accordingly to the show.

Also, there is no BO and no shrinking in this story, though there are bad guys involved. Some characters will have a different Background to fit them into the story (nothing too major) and some will simply not exist.

The story is nearly finished and yes - I got the 50k words for NaNo :) Updates will be every Tuesday and Friday.

'Hello.' = mind speech  
 _'Hello.'_ = inner voice  
"Hello." = normal speech

I hope you have fun reading and I welcome reviews and concrit.

* * *

 **Guide you home**

* * *

 **Chapter one**  
Case Ikeda Sayuri  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

"Please – don't let them find me! Please don't…"

The barely audible pleading whisper became louder in Shinichi's head. He focused some more on it to discern the direction it was coming from.

There.

Under the rag on the polished wooden floor had to be a hidden trapdoor, and beneath it, they would find the little girl they were searching for.

He could hear her moving around, probably rocking back and forth. If he concentrated just a little harder he could even-

'Shinichi.'

He paused. He knew the touch of this particular mind like his own. Warm and comfortable, she gently tugged at his consciousness.

'It's time to come back.'

Right - any further and he might have zoned out. Dialing down his hearing, he followed her lead without any resistance and let her guide his wandering senses back to himself.

As he anchored back into his body, his vision slowly cleared, and he realized that he was still on the exact same spot as before, Ran next to him, holding his hand. For how long they had been standing here, he had no idea, but it didn't matter much to him. He had found the Ikeda's missing daughter, who apparently had been hidden by her mother when some violent rubbers had broken into their home. Because both parents where unconscious at the hospital at the moment, no one had known what had happened to Ikeda Sayuri.

Megure had called for Shinichi, hoping that he could find her, using his heightened senses as a Level 5s Sentinel.

Since he had come online at the age of fifteen three years ago, he had learned how to use his powers to help the police with their cases. He had been well-known even before, thanks to his work as a high-school detective, but with this additional set of skills, he was called to crime scenes even more often.

Sure, among the police force were some Sentinels as well, but their levels were lower than Shinichi's. Satou Miwako for example was a Level 3s with heightened senses of taste, touch and sight. Especially sight was helpful when she had to aim her weapon or was maneuvering her red sports car with break-neck speed through Tokyo's heavy traffic. Takagi Wataru was her Guide.

No Sentinel was allowed to work on the police force without a Guide, no matter what level they were. The risk of slipping into a 'zone' was too high, and dangerous during a case. Zone outs happened when a Sentinel became too focused on one sense and lost himself in the sensation. They would just stop were they were standing, lost to the world around them, and had to wait until it wore off eventually or a Guide snapped them out of it.

Thankfully, it was quite easy to guide a 3s Sentinel or lower level back to reality and most Guides were able to do so, as long as their rank was appropriate. They were ranked from A to E, with C to E being most common while A and B were as scarce as the 4s or 5s Sentinels requiring them.

While a Rank A Guide could help any Sentinel no matter what level, a Guide with a Rank E could break his mind irreparably should he attempt to guide a Sentinel with a higher level than 1s out of a zone.

The classification and ranking were determined in the MindCenters throughout the country as soon as a Guide or a Sentinel came online. Lower ranks got the option to register themselves to find a match, though most opted to search for a partner among their friends and family first. Guides ranked A or B and Sentinels level 4s or 5s hadn't that freedom. They were forced by the law to get registered and matched up as soon as possible and bond at best. 5s Level Sentinels even had to stay at the center until a matching Guide was found.

No without reason.

4s Sentinels could slip into a 'fugue' where more than one sense was hypersensitive. They weren't able to get back to themselves on their own and a Guide was always needed.

Even worse could it become for a 5s. If all five of their senses went into overdrive, it was called a 'rage'. As the name suggested, it could involve aggressive behavior against others or themselves and could end in grave physical and mental injuries.

Shinichi fondly squeezed Ran's hand as she smiled at him, welcoming him back.

Hadn't she been with him when he'd come online, he was sure he wouldn't be here today.

They both hadn't known about their status back then and Shinichi had been on the field with his soccer team, with Ran in the cheering crowd. He remembered how she had complained about the cold weather and why they had to play outside where her feet would freeze on the spot. It hadn't been that bad, but she wanted to make sure that he knew he owed her a hot chocolate or something afterwards.

It were the last seconds in the game and Shinichi had the ball. All the other players in his team were guarded by opponents and he was the only one who could shoot the winning goal.

Excitement cursed through his veins. He concentrated hard, sweat running down his temples and the muscles in his legs already straining from all the dashing around during the game. Some soreness the day after was a given already.

But he could do it. His team was counting on him.

When he pulled back his leg to give the ball a hard, precise kick to send it into the utmost upper left corner the goalie could impossibly reach, it happened.

Suddenly, his vision tunneled in on the net in that corner, focusing on the slightly worn material and completely blocking out the rest of the stadium. The noise of the crowd that until then only had been in the background, thundered in his ears, his hearing dialed up painfully. The smell of his own sweat, mingled with that of grass and dirt was almost overwhelming. He must have bitten his lip at some point and the rusty taste of blood was heavy and made him gag. When he fell to the ground dizzy and disorientated, the grass seemed to consist of actual blades, slicing into his skin.

His own scream rang deafening through his mind that held him captive with too bright, too loud, too much of everything.

No one had anticipated something like this or was prepared in any way. The Guide who kept an eye on the team as a medic was only Rank B, what normally was more than enough to deal with the few players who were 2s or 3s Sentinels. That one of the remaining players would come online as a 5s and so violently at that, had been unexpected.

Sensing Shinichi's need, the Guide had tried to help but after realizing his level, he couldn't do anything without risking to go insane.

The ensuing minutes stretched like eternities for Shinichi as he lay there, barely able to breathe, because every shuddering intake of air sent icy knifes down his throat and he clawed at his neck, where the fabric of his clothing was itchy like hell, without noticing that he was drawing blood.

Slowly, very slowly, he felt how everything faded away from him and he welcomed it, embraced the numbness, not knowing that is was due to lack of oxygen and that he would suffocate if nothing was done soon.

Finally, shortly before he was about to black out, he felt the relieving touch of two hands on his face, cooling his feverish skin, smoothing away the panic deep inside him and capturing his hands to prevent him from hurting himself further. The smell of a familiar parfum washed over him and a mind so kind and loving, tenderly reached out to his bruised senses – calming them little by little.

Something hot and wet dripped onto his face and he knew she was crying but still found the strength to guide him back safely.

'I'm here, Shinichi' he heard her voice directly inside his head and he let got, let himself fall into her waiting mind. 'Don't worry – I'll take care of you. Breathe.'

'Ran...' And he did what she told him and inhaled deeply, relishing the air filling his lungs without any pain.

All Ran did was purely on instinct as she hadn't had any proper training as a Guide, just the basic knowledge all kids learned in school.

Children were Neutrals until they hit puberty. Some would come online, some would not and as puberty came at different ages, one never knew for sure if they would become a Guide or a Sentinel until they were sixteen. Coming online later than that was extremely rare.

Ran and Shinichi were both fifteen, almost sixteen, and hadn't really anticipated being anything else than Neutrals anymore.

But in response to his own distress, she had come online as well.

For him.

She'd seen him fall, heard his anguished scream and her own mind answered with an explosion of impressions. With the need to reach out to her boyfriend, she was halfway over the field before she even knew what she was doing. Next to him, she dropped to her knees and fear lanced through her when she heard his rattling breaths and saw the blood on his hands and neck. Ran tenderly touched his cheeks and they burned fever-hot against her palms.

And then his breathing stopped.

There was no time to wait for the MindCenter to send a medic to take over - he needed her. Now! Without caring about the red staining her, she took his hands and closed her eyes.

She tried to focus on him and only him, to turn out the ruckus around them. As gentle as possible, yet determined, she pushed against Shinichi's roaring mind, prodding him to make her presence known.

Bit by bit, she collected his shattered self and began to reconstruct it, putting him together until he was whole again. Ran didn't even notice that she was crying before she read the thought about her hot, wet tears in his mind.

Relief rushed through her, because now she knew he was aware of her and that she could reach him.

'I'm here, Shinichi. Don't worry - I'll take care of you. Breathe.'

She felt how he relaxed and gave in to her guiding, hanging onto her with absolute trust. Oxygen cycled through his blood again and she felt how her own breathing had been shallow at best.

When she finally pulled him through the last layers to the surface of reality, they both were exhausted and collapsed right there and then.

They then had been brought to the next center and were matched up immediately.

It wasn't unheard of that a Guide would come online when faced with a Sentinel in need, but it was seldom in the combination of Level 5s Sentinel and Rank A Guide.

While Shinichi recovered from his rage, Ran began her special training as a Rank A Guide at the center. After that, they decided that Ran would move in with him in his parent's house until they were of legal age and could decide were they wanted to live. Her father Mouri Kogoro had not been pleased and had Shinichi accused that he'd dragged his beloved daughter into this mess just to have his way with her, but in the end, he had to give in, because as dependent as Shinichi was on Ran, she was on him.

She always had been kind but coming online had amplified that a thousand-fold and she was constantly confronted with the feelings of the people surrounding her. She'd learned to regulate it by erecting shields around her mind, but true calmness and rest, she only found when she entered Shinichi's mind and he welcomed her there unconditionally whenever she tentatively knocked against his awareness.

Without that reprieve from time to time, she was at risk of going into 'Guide-shock', somewhat an equivalent to 'zone', 'fugue' and 'rage'. It could happen when a Guide was frightened, in pain or extremely exhausted.

So, to keep both of them safe and sound, they had to stick together and in the Mouri Detective Agency was simply not enough room for another teenager.

Their bond had formed easily and while some thought sex was always involved, there were many different ways. For them, it had been the deep trust they held for each other since early childhood. They already had been dating a while and taking it a step farther had come naturally.

Back in the here and now in the Ikeda's living room, Shinichi was more than grateful when he looked at the young woman next to him, because having a bond meant a bond for life that couldn't be broken, and he couldn't imagine that with anyone else. After all, he had always been in love with her.

She was accompanying him on his investigations whenever possible, because she always felt when he was about to fall into a zone, even though it hadn't been easy for her in the beginning. Overwhelmed by the negative emotions from culprits and suspects alike, she had fled into the sanctuary of Shinichi's mind and had stayed there, clinging to his arm. After she'd gotten a handle on her shield abilities, it had become better. Now, she sometimes even was capable to point out the culprit to Shinichi if they didn't keep their emotions in check, so he just had to look for the evidence. But she was very careful with such hints, because emotions could be misleading at times and she didn't want to wrongly accuse someone of murder.

At the times she had to take care of her own education, Shinichi took Senes-2 to neutralize two of his senses, so even a Rank C Guide like Takagi was able to help him, should zoning be a problem.

Senes were drugs to help Sentinels during the wait for a matching Guide, and they worked well enough for all Levels, but they were just recommended for short-time usage, because of the possible side-effects. One of those was that one couldn't predict which of the senses would be blocked, while the remaining ones were accordingly heightened. Taking Senes-4 could be devastating for a 5s like Shinichi if the last active sense turned out that sensitive that he would zone immediately.

There also was Senes-5, what basically made him a Neutral for approximately half a day after taking it. It really wasn't recommended to suppress all of your senses, especially not over an extended length of time, because the backlash could be vicious. It was mostly used in medical emergencies like surgery when the patient couldn't be sedated fully, or the heightened senses would send them into shock otherwise.

Beside all the medical reasons, Shinichi simply didn't like it when his senses were normalized by the drugs. Everything felt so dull and smudged then, he feared he could miss a lead or realize it too late. Sure, he had been a good detective even before he came online, but with some cases, time was of essence and if life gave him a gift like this, he wouldn't let it go to waste.

Ran gave him one last reassuring squeeze with her hand before letting go, so he could go one with the case.

But instead of returning to where Megure was waiting, he turned to her.

"Ran, you've heard the voice of the girl. Could you-? I mean, I know you usually don't want to get involved with the cases, but Sayuri-chan is likely to panic if she sees a man and as a woman and with your empathy, you will be able to help her better than any of us."

She smiled warmly. Shinichi knew how uncomfortable she often felt on crime scenes and tried his best to keep her on the sidelines, but this time she helped gladly, so she nodded, and Shinichi motioned to two officers to roll back the heavy carpet.

Sure enough, a trapdoor became visible and Ran positioned herself in front of it, kneeling on the floor. Lightly, she knocked against the wooden planks and spoke with a soft voice.

"Hello? Sayuri-chan? I know you are afraid, but I'm here to help you. My name is Ran. I promise, nothing will happen to you. May I open the trap door?"

Everything was silent for a few moments, before they heard a quite shuffling noise. A small, frightened voice sounded through the trapdoor.

"Re- really? Are they gone? Where- where are my mom and dad?"

Ran frowned. Telling the girl that her parents were currently unconscious at the hospital would only frighten her, so she wordlessly apologized for the little white lie she would use. Better tell her what had happened when they were able to actually take care of her and not while she was hiding in a dark small bolt-hole.

"They got a little injured and the doctors are taking care of them right now. They are waiting for you to come and see them." Not entirely true, but also not completely lied either. With a little bit of luck her parents would be already awake when they brought Sayuri to them as they hadn't been off too bad as far as Ran knew.

"So, do you want to go see your mom and dad?"

She waited a moment and when there was only a sniffling sound but no refusal, she slowly opened the trapdoor with the assistance of an officer.

It was just a small crawl-space under the floor, big enough for a child but too confined for an adult. Sayuri was kneeling on all fours and her tear-streaked face was turned away from the bright light that flooded her hide-out.

Ran held out her hand and gave the girl an encouraging smile. "Sayuri-chan, come - take my hand. Let's go to your parents."

* * *

 **TBC**


	2. Test the limits

**Chapter two  
** Test the limits  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

After they had reunited Sayuri with her parents, who really had been awake when they entered their hospital room, Shinichi and Ran were walking down the street to the MindCenter that was located near the hospital.

As a 5s/A pair, they had to come by now and then for some check-ups and besides that, they had agreed to help out the local expert for 5s Sentinels with her research.

While Ran was chattering about her last fruitless attempt to bring her parents back together, Shinichi still pondered about the case.

"Hey!"

Ran's elbow jabbed into his side, efficiently binging his focus back to her.

"Ouuf!"

"Why are you spacing out on me again? I know you think I should already let it go and accept their decision but come on - at least listen when I speak with you, will you," she chided him a bit irritated, but a look at his expression after he had given her a sheepish smile, made her pause.

"Something is bothering you," she declared. One didn't need to be a genius to know that much, and certainly not Ran, who had been with Shinichi since they had fought over the shovel in the sandpit.

Shinichi hummed in thought and brought one hand to his chin - his typical pose when breaking down a problem in his head.

"It's just…," he began and let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't get what the robbers were searching for. The Ikeda's are not overly wealthy, but they didn't even take the few valuable things that were in the house. There was a jewelry-box in the room Sayuri was hiding in and they didn't take it, just rummaged through it like they did with all the drawers and I spotted at least two real gold necklaces. Also, the wallet on the cabinet in the entrance was untouched. So, what did they want? Did they take something at all?"

Ran couldn't answer that either. It was useless anyway to worry about it now. They would have to wait until the Ikeda's were released from the hospital and had a chance to evaluate the damage the robbers left behind. But as always, Shinichi just couldn't help it and would go over the facts he had again and again.

Thankfully, they now had reached the entrance of the MindCenter and there happened to work just the person to get her boyfriend's mind away from over thinking.

They passed the automatic glass doors that had opened soundlessly and with a wave to the receptionist, who knew them from their regular visits, they crossed the spacious lobby.

Everything around them spoke of modern research but without the sterile touch of a usual medical facility. There were comfy corners with lounges to rest, potted plants here and there and the halls were decorated with pieces from local artists. They even changed the pictures every half year, like an exhibition.

Not much spoke about the actual work that was done here.

Every day, teens came online in a highly populated city like Tokyo and this was the place they all had to turn to and get their Level or Rank determined. It was also here where they could meet up with a possible match and get to know them in a safe environment. After all, letting an unfamiliar person into your mind wasn't something you wanted to do in a shady bar or somewhere all alone. It had also happened that a Guide had tried to connect outside the MindCenter with a Sentinel they had thought to be a match, only to find out the painful way that the other's level was too high for them.

In the MindCenter, the first contact was supervised from professionals and it was always at least one Guide present, who could intervene should something go wrong.

The reason they were here today was a boy, who came online as a 4s and the center had asked Ran to be the observing Guide.

When they reached the room where the connection was scheduled, Ran gave a blushing Shinichi a kiss and disappeared behind the door.

Shinichi's hand unconsciously went to the spot Ran had just kissed.

"Oh my - still blushing after all this time, Kudou-kun?"

Caught and embarrassed, Shinichi turned to the amused voice that came from the end of the corridor.

"None of your business, Miyano," he grumbled and strode towards the reddish-blond woman with his hands now shoved into the pockets of his jeans, and a slight pout on his face. Just his luck that she would witness the scene. It wasn't his fault that he was as infatuated with Ran as when they started dating, and it wasn't a bad thing either - not at all. He just didn't like to be teased about it because really, who would.

Miyano's smirk grew a little wider at his awkward repost, but she needed him cooperative, so she dropped her attitude and waved him inside her laboratory.

Well, laboratory maybe wasn't the right word for it as it looked more like the stereotypically office of a shrink, complete with couch, heavy armrest chair and some fancy diagram of the human mind structure on a poster at the wall.

Shinichi had been here often enough to feel at ease and he let himself plop down on the black leather couch without waiting for an invitation.

"Ran is in the Connecting Room?"

"A Level 4s came online and the center's residential Rank B Guide is otherwise occupied, so they reached out for Ran instead. You know her, she is always happy to help a newbie," he nodded and leaned back, getting comfortable. "So, what are we going to do today?"

He wasn't in any way concerned about the fact that his Guide wasn't at his side for this appointment, seeing that Miyano Shiho was a Rank A Guide herself. She had chosen from the beginning not to connect with freshly online Sentinels, partly because of her reserved character and because it would eat up her research time and she wouldn't have that. Sure, in case of an emergency, she would step into the breach, but otherwise she opted to just work with a few chosen.

One of them was Shinichi himself and he still wasn't entirely sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

"I want you to work on your ability to expand the time before you slip into a zone, maybe even a fugue but we will tackle that one another time when Ran is with you as I'm sure you wouldn't be comfortable with me in your head while two of your senses are in overdrive and you are vulnerable."

"Way to put it, but thanks a lot, I would really appreciate it."

While he knew that she was absolutely capable of sending him into a fugue if she wanted to, not to speak of a rage, he trusted her to respect his boundaries or he wouldn't be here at all. If someone else beside Ran got to invade his mind space, it was her.

"Alright, you know the drill. Lean back and focus on the monitor on the ceiling, I want to start with your sight."

Shinichi did as he was told and watched as the monitor's stand-by pictures changed to the colorful spiral he knew from previous sessions. They had found out that it was easiest for him to focus on a monotone thing and not something that sidetracked his attention to all directions.

"Ready?" Shiho always made sure he was prepared before she even attempted to connect with his mind. She might appear to be a bit cold and detached, but she knew exactly what a delicate matter entering someone else's mind was.

Instead of answering, Shinichi simply started to concentrate on the maelstrom of colors above him. Shiho would be aware of the point when he would cross the threshold to a zone without any problems, as she had guided him before and knew the signs.

After a few seconds, he began to focus on just one color in particular and soon, he felt how the violet was tugging at his sense while the rest of the rainbow faded to a dull gray. The violet wasn't just a color anymore. The closer he focused on it, the clearer he could discern what it really consisted of - all the hues of reds and blues.

A bit further and he could even tell the exact amount for each part of red and blue.

A bit further and the color seemed to gain a texture.

Another bit furth-

"Stop," came the calm order in his mind.

Where Ran was all warmth and coziness, Shiho was clear and structured. Not unpleasant - he just wasn't that used to it.

Effortlessly, he pulled his sight back without needing help, and soon, all colors of the maelstrom were radiant again and he was back on the couch, blinking a bit to clear his vision and do something against the dry feeling in his eyes.

Shiho brought the monitor back into stand-by modus while he straightened up.

"Did you feel the moment when you began to slip?"

He reenacted what just had happened. Even though all his senses were equally heightened, sight and hearing were the ones that came easiest to him. Taste and smell where tightly entwined with emotions and sometimes hard to predict and to handle. A waft of the perfume his mother used could throw him back into his childhood instantly, and flavors sometimes triggered memories before he knew it.

Eating out was an adventure in itself with all the spices and overly sweetened food you got at every corner or restaurant. He preferred home cooked meals and it certainly didn't hurt that Ran was an excellent chef.

Though the combination of smell and taste had once saved him from being murdered with poison, attempted by a vengeful sister whose brother he had brought behind bars. She had dropped the poison in his drink when they visited the bar she worked at. Only because of the stench and the bitter taste had he stopped drinking immediately and had gotten away with an upset stomach. Apparently, she had planned it for a while and had begun to work at that bar after learning that he frequented it now and then.

The most annoying sense by far was touch as he couldn't bear to wear any synthetic fabrics, or his skin would begin to itch and burn like it wanted to blister. Also, one wouldn't believe how rough everything from a simple wooden door to the worn out covers of a seat on the train could feel when your sense of touch was off the charts. So, he had learned to control this sense first and didn't actively use it unless really needed.

But to answer Shiho's question…

"I think there was this brief moment of vertigo when you called out to me." He frowned as he tried to recall the feeling. "As if you are about to faint but you don't, but it is very low-key and easy to miss."

The clatter of Shiho's finger on the keyboard filled the room while she added her notes to his file. "But it is noticeable," she hummed to herself before she looked at him with an expression that had Shinichi considering to turn tail right now.

"That just means you'll have to practice a little harder, detective."

ooOO-OOoo

When Ran was done with her part for the new connection, she went to pick up Shinichi. It had taken a few hours, but in the end everything went off without a hitch. Toda Masao, one of the Neutral employees in charge for the newbies, had asked her if it were possible to rely on her a bit more for the time being, as he hadn't been able to get a hold of the Rank 4 Guide who was usually working here.

She would have offered to work here as well if that had been an option. The center didn't have a Rank 5 Guide working permanently in the facility because they were needed to stick with their partner and vice versa but she had agreed to fill in whenever possible.

After a short knock on the door and waiting for Shiho's response, she entered the room, only to be greeted with the sight of her utterly exhausted boyfriend, who was more hanging then sitting on the couch and Shiho, who calmly sipped on a cup of tea.

"What… happened here?" she asked tentatively, her gaze wandering from Shinichi to Shiho's pleased smirk.

The researcher sat down her cup and pushed back her chair from her desk. "Kudou-kun here just got a lot of experience under his belt and I think he would appreciate a little extra care today. And maybe tomorrow." She reached into the pocket of her lab coat and threw a blister package to Ran. "These are some painkillers for the headache he will develop within the next hour. Make sure he takes one tonight and one in the morning and he should be fine."

Ran nodded a bit worried but ultimately knew that Shiho wouldn't do anything that would harm Shinichi in any way. She would push him to his limits and sometimes beyond, but she would always be careful not to go too far.

"I called Professor Agasa to pick you up. Taking the train wouldn't be advisable with Kudou-kun is this condition," Shiho said and headed to the door. When she passed Shinichi, she nudged his side. "I'm looking forward to the next time." With a short scoff, she evaded his weak swat and chose to ignore his grumbled, half-hearted insult about her being a sadist. She gave Ran one of her rare smiles on her way out. "Take care of him."

Ran looked after her when the other woman left the room and shook her head. Miyano Shiho was despite her young age one of the best in her field of work. They had met her, what a surprise, on one of Shinichi's cases.

He had helped to clear her sister's name in a fraud when all the immediate evidence was against her. Sadly, it hadn't been enough to protect her from the wrath of the true culprits and they had shot her before the police had a chance to intervene.

To the present day, Shinichi was blaming himself that he hadn't noticed the crucial proof sooner, hadn't acted faster, hadn't been able to save her.

But Shino had never held it against him. Instead, she had offered to help him to improve his control over his senses. Their relationship was one of trust and friendship. And a lot of teasing.

Hearing him groan from the couch, she sighed. He must have been at it the whole time while she had been in the Connection Room. While she was totally with him that it was important to improve one's skill, he could go somewhat overboard at times and she always had to deal with the aftermath, what could range from tiredness over migraine-like headaches to him being completely out of commission for the rest of the day.

He just pushed himself too hard.

"Come on, let's get you home. I'm sure the Professor will be waiting already."

With a soft but steady grip, she supported him and let him lean against her as they walked through the corridors. With every step, he regained some strength and awareness and when they reached the curb where a small yellow VW Beetle was waiting, he was mostly back on his own two feet.

Shinichi reached for the handle and opened the door to the backseat, letting Ran enter before him. She slid over to the other side.

"Hello, Professor! Thanks for getting us," Ran greeted the elderly man behind the wheel and Shinichi gave him a grateful nod. As their neighbor, he offered them a rider every now and then and with Shinichi's sometimes time sensitive cases, it really was a blessing.

The man himself welcomed the break from his various projects as an inventor and liked to chat and run some ideas by them. Shinichi often thought that the stuff Agasa came up with was useless, but there were also tools that worked astonishingly well.

Like the little trackers in button look with a matching app for mobiles that came in handy when Shinichi had to trace a suspect.

Right now, Agasa cast a glance at the teens through the rearview mirror.

"No problem, Ran-kun. Shiho-kun told me that she didn't want to burden you with the task of steering Shinichi home after that intensive session."

Shinichi crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively. "I'm not that bad. And it is partly Miyano's fault that I'm that tired anyway. She was on a roll today."

Ran laughed with a wink at her sulking boyfriend. "No reason to be that grumpy. We'll get you home, fill your stomach with something warm and then you can crawl under your blanket and remain there to your heart's content."

A relieved sigh was all she got as an answer and when she looked over, Shinichi had his head rested against the headrest, and was already out like a light.

Just as promised, Ran had dished up some delicious food and had invited Agasa to stay for dinner as well.

The short nap during the ride hadn't done much to replenish Shinichi and more than one time he startled awake shortly before he would land face-first in his meal.

The full, blissful feeling was making him even more sleepy and he decided to follow Ran's advice and go to bed early, but not without taking one of the pills, Shiho had given him because he remembered the one time he had foregone the meds and it hadn't been pleasant.

He gave Ran a kiss and headed up the stairs. When he reached the top, his cell phone went off and a look at the caller ID had him letting out a heavy breath. This could take some time. He briefly considered letting it go to voicemail but took the call in the end.

"Yes?"

Maybe his greeting wasn't the politest one, but he was drop-dead tired, okay? As usual, the caller ignored his tone all together anyway.

"Yo, Kudou - how's it goin'?" the cheerful voice of Hattori Heiji sounded through the speaker with the for him typical thick kansai dialect.

Heiji was a skilled detective, just like Shinichi himself, and also a Sentinel if to his chagrin 'only' a Level 4s. The one sense he lacked was that for taste, but Shinichi figured that it was for the best, because the young man from Osaka loved to eat spicy food and with taste buds as sensitive as Shinichi's, he would have to say goodbye to that passion or invest a lot of training to be able to tolerate the burning sensation.

He usually called to bounce some ideas off him when a case got tricky but just as often he just wanted to chat and normally, Shinichi liked to listen to the ludicrous stories his western counterpart presented with much enthusiasm, but - just not right now.

"Is it a case?" Shinichi simply asked.

"Uh - no… ?"

"An emergency?"

"Not really."

"Then call again tomorrow."

And with that, he hung up despite the spluttering protest from the other side and trudged down the hall to the bedroom, dropped onto the bed without bothering to change or get under the covers and was peacefully snoring away moments later.

ooOO-OOoo

The next morning began way too early for them when Shinichi's cell phone rang again.

"I'm going to strangle him," Shinichi growled and only found it in him to reach for his phone because he wanted to give Ran a chance to get back to sleep.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he answered. "Hattori, I swear - if this isn't about something life threatening, I will end _you._ "

"Rise and shine, best pal, I'm happy ta talk ta ya as well on this wonderful mornin'". Heiji's voice dripped with false happiness. He sometimes just loved to rile up his friend from Tokyo, just because.

Shinichi looked at his girlfriend, who tried to ignore what was going on next to her and he got up with a sigh, noticing that he still wore yesterday's clothes. He tucked the phone between his chin and shoulder, grabbed a fresh outfit from the closet and left the bedroom. While Heiji went on, Shinichi began to fix himself some coffee. Ran would prefer tea when she got up and he put out her favorite cup.

"Well, define life threatenin'. It's for sure an opportunity we can't let slip. I'm takin' ya ta a heist, buddy."

Shinichi's hand with a coffeepot full of water paused halfway on its way to fill the coffee machine. "A heist? What heist?"

"What heist, he's askin'," Heiji moaned and Shinichi was sure he heard the slapping sound of a hand connecting with a forehead. "The Kaitou KID heist of course, duh."

Oh. That heist.

The international jewel thief 1412 aka Kaitou KID had announced another heist to the police in advance, like he always did. Why he thought that was a bright idea and why he deemed white a reasonable choice of color for his trademark suit and top hat was beyond Shinichi. He was an enigma or a lunatic - it depended on who you asked. His identity was still unknown, hidden behind his clever tricks, countless masks and the glinting monocle covering his right eye.

But even though KID gave the police all the information about target, place and time of his heists, hidden in riddled notes, they still had to catch him. He was a master of illusion and an excellent escapist artist. That he also liked to humiliate the task force assigned to catch him, was an ever-piercing thorn in the side of the force's leading Inspector, Nakamori Ginzou. One more interesting fact was, that he didn't keep the jewels he stole - he always gave them back.

Shinichi had seen the heist note printed on the front page of some newspaper yesterday but didn't have the time to figure it out yet. Seemed like Heiji had beat him to it this time.

"So, you are coming to Tokyo? Sure, Ran will be happy to have a chance to catch up with Kazuha – you _are_ taking her along, right?"

Kazuha was Heiji's Guide and, coincidentally his childhood friend as well. The girls always made jokes about how the two pairs were so alike and destined to be friends with each other. The boys usually rolled their eyes at that and pretended deafness. Way too cheesy.

From time to time Heiji ditched Kazuha and that always led to heated arguments. Shinichi wasn't exactly sure why his friend did something so stupid as provoking a girl that was a pro at aikido and known for her temper, but he seemed to love the bantering with Kazuha. Their preferred nickname for each other was ‚Aho!', what meant ‚idiot' in Kansai dialect, and it was used plenty of times whenever they bickered about one thing or another.

And really, who was Shinichi to judge the other teen when his own girlfriend could put her fist through a wall at a moment's notice and he tended to anger her with his denseness all the time. At least that was what Ran said. And one never questioned a former national karate champion.

"No, Kudou. Ya'll bring yer girl ta Osaka for this one. What's got ya so off yer game? Usually, ya would already know about all this."

"Session with Miyano yesterday," he explained, and began to set the table for breakfast.

"Oh, that kind of sucks afterwards, right? No wonder ya'r behind."

Heiji would know, because he himself tried as well to heighten his control, though not with Shiho but at the MindCenter in Osaka. Even though their Level was different, he refused to admit defeat and aimed to best Shinichi not only regarding deductions but senses as well.

It was indisputable that they were both amazing detectives even without the advantage of being Sentinels, and taste wasn't really a sense that gave you much of an advantage on a case, so they were mostly even in skills.

Maxing out their abilities was something they were working on constantly. They couldn't afford to make mistakes when on a case, and also they didn't want to be a burden on their Guides and if they were capable of better control, Ran and Kazuha would have it a bit easier at least, but the road to success was long and trying.

"You tell me," Shinichi muttered absentmindedly when he remembered that he still had to take the second pill of Shiho's meds this morning. He popped one out of the blister packaging and went to the sink to fill a glass with water. "Care to fill me in about the notice?"

"Sure thing. This time he's after a big red ruby, displayed at tha museum this weekend."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Very precise, Hattori. Any more details maybe? Time, which museum, name of the jewel, owner…"

"Ah, not up ta solvin' it yarself?" Heiji teased. He clearly enjoyed it way too much to know something Shinichi didn't.

"Fine, I'll help ya out this time, but only because I know what a bitch tha mornin' after a session can be. So, Museum of Fine Arts, this Saturday at 9:25 pm. Tha owner is some industrial big-shot, who bought tha stone for a ridiculous amount of money overseas just recently and now wants ta show it off. It's a cross rose cut ruby, set into a silver necklace called ‚Vermillion Morning'."

A short huffing sound could be heard before Heiji continued. "Honestly, who comes up with all that tacky jewel names? Anyway, we'll pick ya both up at tha train station on Saturday at 3 pm. That way we'll have time ta check out that new restaurant near tha museum. See ya on Saturday, my friend!"

And without giving Shinichi a chance to say something in response, the phone in his hand was only beeping and he blinked at the display, perplexed.

Well, he did cut Heiji short the other night, so payback was only fair and when he was being honest, he really wanted to go to the heist.

The thrill of a KID heist was always lifting his spirits and the thief made it his personal rule that no one got hurt during one of his excessive shows as he himself liked to call his thefts.

And a show they were.

Not only the police task force would be there but also a horde of reporters and not to forget the masses of fans the enigmatic thief attracted, who always crowded the locations KID had announced to show up at.

Ran's best friend, Suzuki Sonoko was the president of the official Kaitou KID fan club and no one was able to hold a candle to her when it came to cheering and squealing for her beloved thief in white. How and why her boyfriend, Makoto put up with her antics was a mystery Shinichi didn't care to solve.

To be fair, Sonoko was nice enough, would always have Ran's back and alone therefore was a friend of his own as well. He just was glad that she never wanted anything more from him, because friendship - yes, sure, girlfriend - hell, no!

Is was safe to say that she had already booked a first class flight to Osaka and an expensive hotel room to attend the heist, because she was filthy rich like that. Her uncle, Suzuki Jirokichi, who was an eccentric collector and had made his goal to catch KID, had more than once challenged the thief to steal from him. As of yet, KID had always been the victorious one, but the old man just didn't know when to give up and was always after the next front-page splash.

Shinichi wondered how long it would take him to find a new pricey object he could use to lure KID out, but for now there was the heist in Osaka to look forward to.

He could feel anticipation thrumming in his blood. He was more than ready to go toe to toe with the thief this weekend.

* * *

 **TBC**


	3. What will get you into trouble

**A.N.:** Today is the 14th of December, 1412 - KID-day XD So, time for our favorite thief to make an appearance in the story.

* * *

 **Chapter three**  
What will get you into trouble  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

It was rare for KID to hold a heist outside of Tokyo and right now, Shinichi was thankful for that. The train to Osaka was brimming with avid KID fans, and while some of them put the finishing touches on big signs, lettered with brightly colored declarations of love, a more annoying group was practicing chants they wanted to use to cheer the thief on.

Irritated, Shinichi rubbed his temples and tried to block out the noise that was straining his hearing.

Ran put a soothing hand on his arm and suddenly a wall of tranquility was built around his mind, easing away the tension.

He threw her a grateful smile and leaned back. Being a Sentinel really wasn't all that glamorous and beneficial as society made it out to be. Sure, Shinichi could hear perfectly (not that it did him any good when it came to singing, he was just hopeless in that respect) and he would never need glasses, but the people tended to forget about all the little things that could make his everyday life problematic. Like a migraine due to noisy, rabid fans on a packed train with no way to escape for example.

He was sure that all of those envious Neutrals out there wouldn't want to trade with him right now. Though the gentle mental touch of his Guide was rather pleasant, he had to admit and relaxed in his seat for the rest of the ride.

When they got off at Osaka Station, it was swarming with people and Shinichi was sure it would stay that way until the heist was over and all fans back home again. Not that the station was empty on normal days. It was always kind of hectic, busy with people heading from home to work and the other way round or whatever their schedule dictated them.

And in the middle of all that hustling and bustling, Shinichi could make out a frantically waving tanned teenager, who tried to shove his way through the masses, wearing a baseball cap that sat backwards on his head.

Ran and Shinichi met him halfway and only then saw that a girl with her hair in a high ponytail was following close behind him, her hand holding onto his jacket, so she wouldn't lose him.

"Hey, Kudou, Ran-chan, glad ta see ya made it through this madness," Heiji greeted them with a vibrant smile.

Kazuha ducked around him. „Ran-chan, finally!" she cheered and hugged the other girl. "It's been way too long! I'm so glad ya will be with me while tha boys play tag with that crazy thief."

Ran laughed and linked arms with the girl. "Exactly! Let them run around like headless chickens and we will watch the spectacle from the sidelines. And when they realize that they are about to fall into the rabbit hole, we will come to the rescue."

"Oi, we are not some helpless damsels in distress, ya know," Heiji complained, but the girls just waved him off.

"Sure, yar perfectly capable detectives, unless ya get distracted by a butterfly. Admit it, Heiji, you. need. me," she teased good-heartedly.

And off they went with their usual bickering, leaving Ran and Shinichi shrugging and shouldering their overnight bags. The whole way to the restaurant, they were on it, and though their friends had been around them long enough to know that the pair didn't mean half of what they threw at each other's heads, it got old after some time.

Shinichi decided he'd had enough when the waiter brought them their food, which looked delicious and he intended to enjoy it in peace.

"Hattori, I think we've established by now that she needs you, you need her, the same as with Ran and me. Can we go on with the conversation, please? I think your teriyaki chicken is going to flee back into the kitchen if it has to listen any longer and I couldn't blame it."

Heiji blinked at the plate in front of him, as if he hadn't even realized that they had arrived at the restaurant and that he had indeed ordered teriyaki chicken.

With a satisfied grin, Shinichi skewered a piece of salmon on his own plate. He had ordered it with a mild alternative to the usual sauce. "Say, didn't you say you got a chance to look at the exhibition earlier today?"

The Osakan nodded. "Yea, but there wasn't much ta see then and tha leadin' inspector shooed me out of tha hall when he noticed me, yellin' at his men how tha hell I got in there. That man has a vocabulary, I tell ya."

"That's true," Ran giggled. "You don't want to mess with Nakamori-keiji during a heist, he explodes faster than you can say 'I'm with the police.'"

Wincing at the memory of a very painful pinch, Shinichi rubbed his cheek. On the first heist he and Ran had attended, no one had bothered to inform Nakamori about their presence and he had thought they were KID and his assistant in disguise. After a lot of explaining (shouting) and said cheek-pinch, they were finally allowed to stay, but Shinichi could really do without a repeat of that experience.

Now, Nakamori begrudgingly tolerated them there if only because Shinichi actually managed to come close to catch the thief once or twice. They had come to an unspoken understanding of 'you do yours, I do mine' and most of the time, Shinichi left the hunting and trap-dodging part to the task force. He preferred to figure out KID's escape route and intercepted him there. More often than not, they ended up on a rooftop. Why Nakamori hadn't realized that yet, Shinichi had no idea.

Surprisingly often, those encounters lead to quite interesting conversations and KID tossing the jewel to the detective after he'd determined that it wasn't what he was looking for.

And that was what intrigued Shinchi way more than simply catching and arresting KID. He wanted to know what was going on, what the thief was searching for, because that his heists had a purpose other than wealth was obvious. Sadly, KID didn't seem to want anyone to learn about his reasons, because he had rebuffed any of Shinichi's attempts so far.

But who knew, maybe tonight he would finally get a straight answer instead of a smirk, smoke and the sight of Kaitou KID's glider flying away. One could hope after all.

Heiji settled to tell them about his latest case that somehow included a cat, two robbers and a jump rope. After the part where an innocent waste container exploded, Shinichi was sure that he was pulling his leg but let him continue anyway, because Heiji was quite the talented storyteller.

He just wondered why Heiji was making up stuff, because he was sure that his fellow detective had his fair share of interesting and weird cases.

Shinichi shot Kazuha a questioning glance and she answered with a shrug and an apologetic smile. Something was off. Heiji normally basked in the attention he got for his solved cases and was competitive to a fault. After all, he had come to Tokyo back then when he had heard that Shinichi had come online and was labeled the ‚Heisei Homes' by the press. He'd wanted to judge his talent for himself and it had ended with Heiji declaring that they were best buddies. What they really were by now.

Why didn't he want to tell Shinichi what he really was working on?

Well, he would get him to talk before they went back to Tokyo - that much was sure.

ooOO-OOoo

The Museum of Fine Art and the plaza in front of it were buzzing with people when they got there a little after nine. It was difficult to push through the tons of fans and then get the officers at the barrier tape to listen to them. When they finally were inside, they just had to follow the sound of Nakamori's bellowed orders, no heightened senses needed.

The Inspector stood in the middle of a spacious exhibition room with paintings covering the walls and some sculptures scattered here and there on small marble columns. In the middle, spot-lights were directed at a showcase on a pedestal and there, cushioned on green velvet, sat the 'Vermillion Morning', shimmering and glittering in a rich red, deep red.

It seemed that no one had bothered with an elaborate scheme to stop KID, going back to the basics. After all - no matter what clever safety measures had been set up at previous heists, not one had stopped the thief even the slightest. It even seemed that difficult obstacles spurred him on to new heights, thriving on the challenge.

So, this time, Nakamori tried to rob him of any chance to use fancy mechanisms or such. Just the showcase, a thick red cord and his most trustworthy men in front of it, who all sported bright red cheeks, no doubt the result of a painful pinch to make sure they weren't KID. Wouldn't be the first time after all, that he disguised as a member of the task force.

Shinichi wasn't sure if that was actually a genius idea or the dumbest thing the Inspector could have come up with, but he didn't really care as his objective was to talk to the thief, preferable alone.

What left him with the problem what to do with Heiji. He could try to just ditch him but his best bet would be that his over-enthusiastic friend would be caught in one of KID's traps during the heist. It had happened to himself a few times in the beginning, but now he knew how to use his sight to avoid them. Heiji didn't have this practice and was likely to stumble into a goo and glitter trap or be sprayed with some knock-out gas - one of KID's favorites.

"Kudou Shinichi?"

The voice of a young officer jolted him from his musing. "Yes, that's me."

With a short bow, the officer introduced himself as member of the task force. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but Nakamori-keibu wants your opinion on some precautions we took. Would you follow me please?"

"Does he, now?" Shinichi raised a surprised eyebrow and searched the room for the Inspector. He stood across the room and was engrossed in a conversation with a man who was likely to be the jewel's owner. He had a feeling that Nakamori hadn't even realized that Shinichi and his friends were here at all and even if he had, like hell he would ask Shinichi for advice.

That could mean only one thing. Kaitou KID wanted him away from the rest and he even made it obvious. But why?

Curiosity was one of his flaws, as Ran liked to point out to him, and because he had wanted to speak with KID anyway, he agreed. Catching Ran's gaze, who stood near the showcase with Heiji and Kazuha, he gestured to her that he would leave the room for a moment and not to worry. Then he followed the false officer.

They went through some corridors until they were so far away, that there was no one else beside them. Shinichi decided that this was far enough and stopped as they passed through a room with impressionistic paintings.

"So, KID, care to enlighten me?"

The officer dropped his act and the typical face-splitting mad-man grin was firmly in place.

"My my, detective, I knew you would catch on fast. Did I even fool you the least?"

"Maybe if you had tried to be a bit more subtle." Shinichi glanced at his phone to check the time. "You only have five minutes until your show is supposed to start. Spill."

"Always so impatient," KID chided. "That is exactly what will get you into trouble tonight and why I'm asking you to step back from this heist. Go home, detective and take your pretty girlfriend with you."

"What?"

Shinichi was dumbfounded. That has not been what he had expected the thief to say, not at all. "Why would I do that? What is going on tonight that you don't want me here?"

KID shook his head. "It's not that I don't want you here - I always enjoy it when you find the time to participate, and our little rooftop meetings are charming, but that is what I just meant. Tonight, the rooftop is off-limits for you and anybody else." He smirked. "While I'm not overly concerned about the rest who always fall for my tricks and never make is to the rooftop on time, you are different. My traps don't work on you anymore and I assume you planned to forgo the whole hunt anyway, so I'm asking you directly to call it quits for tonight."

Shinichi's thoughts raced. What was it with tonight's heist? What was different? What was there up on the roof?

The thief sighed. "I can practically see you thinking, you know? Well, as you so nicely pointed out, I'm short on time and I predicted something like this would happen. I mean - you are a detective. You always would raise to the challenge instead of backing off like a normal person. So-"

Before Shinichi could react, KID had whipped out a small can and sprayed him with the content, making him cough even though he tried not to inhale any of it.

"-I brought this along."

He caught Shinichi when his legs gave out and lowered him tithe floor.

The detective struggled to stay awake, not to succumb to sleep. "Don't…" he rasped out.

KID's smile was surprisingly honest and a bit sad, a very unnerving expression on the usually cheerful face. "I can handle myself, detective. Don't concern yourself with a petty criminal like me."

And then, Shinichi was out.

* * *

 **TBC**

 **A.N.:** Thanks a lot for your reviews, follows, favs - I really appreciate all of your support!


	4. Disappearance

**Chapter four**  
Disappearance  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

When he came to, Shinichi's thoughts were jumbled and disconnected, the floor seemed to turn under him. Opening his eyes didn't really help because now the room above him was spinning as well but in the other direction, making him nauseous.

He tried to remember why he was lying on the floor in an empty room. Although - it wasn't really empty, was it? Frames on the walls swam in and out of focus, golden and thick.

 _'Like in a museum.'_

He paused. Museum? What was he doing…

"KID!" he shouted and bolted upright, only to fold over with a groan. Now, he wished back for the spinning room and floor instead of this discord of - everything.

His own voice hurt in his ears, he smelled the dust in the air and tasted the evaporations of the oil paintings around him. He screwed his eyes shut to be spared from the grating colors at least, while the cold from the tiles under him was biting and made him shiver.

Damn, KID's drug must have messed up his senses. If he didn't get back in control, he would lose it soon and without Ran, that could leave him in a critical condition.

Panting, he clenched his hands into the fabric of his pants, searching for something to hold onto. Then he tried to focus on the emergency exercises, Shiho had drilled into him.

 _'Breathe. Slowly. In… and out… in… and out. Keep your eyes closed. Tackle one sense at a time, begin with the worst, but leave sight for last.'_

After repeating the mantra about five times, he had calmed down enough to untangle his taste from the rest. The oil seemed to be more than just a flavor - it coated his throat, slowly making breathing harder again, so he worked on that first.

Next was touch. Bit by bit, the icy cold of the tiles receded to a chill he could handle.

His hearing and smell weren't that bad off, so he dared to open his eyes very, very carefully.

The colors were still overly bright and he had to squint against the blinding ceiling lights, but he could manage. Somehow.

 _'KID, that bastard. I'll get him for this.'_

Speaking about getting KID - where had he run off to, and how long had Shinichi been here?

Slowly, he came to his hands and knees and then into a standing position, testing his coordination and balance. Both were still a bit off but bearable. He would have to find Ran to fully be centered again, but something urged him to search for the thief first.

The thief, who had been concerned enough to take Shinichi completely out of the game tonight.

Without pondering too much about what a poor decision it might be, he rushed through the museum to the rooftop. On the way, he came across some members of the task force, sleeping away in the staircase, making it clear that he was on the right track.

Another flight of stairs and he reached the door that lead outside. He took a moment to pull himself together as good as possible and slowly pushed the bar-handle.

Outside, he was greeted with a scene he had somewhat anticipated, but it still shocked him to see KID being held at gunpoint by a guy in a black trench coat and black fedora. Above them, a small helicopter was hovering and it was just a matter of time before the police would send their own to get them to land.

The man hadn't noticed Shinichi yet, standing slightly averted to the door, but KID had if the slight tensing in his shoulders was any indication.

"You know, Snake, I really don't have the patience for you and your henchmen tonight. Would you just scat, please?" KID said nonchalant as ever.

 _'Henchmen? So there are more of them.'_

With his little comment, KID had made sure that Shinichi knew what to look out for and to be careful.

The man, Snake, let out a rough laugh. "I think you misunderstood something here, thief. It's not up to you to ask for anything. And now hand over the jewel, or I will take it out of your cold fingers. It's all the same for me, really."

KID just huffed, unimpressed. "Who even said that this is the right one? What will you do if it isn't Pandora and you've thoughtlessly killed me? I'm your best bet finding the gem and you know it. Your boss knows it too and that is the only reason why he doesn't restore to more drastic means to get me out of the way. Not that he would succeed anyway," he smirked confidently, his white cape catching a gust of wind and billowing out behind him.

Snake was positively seething now and KID didn't want to risk a shootout with the unprotected detective nearby, so he decided to use one of his well-tried smoke-bombs, get Shinichi and leave for tonight. He knew, he would meet this man again. Sadly, he came back no matter how often KID had the upper hand.

With a flick of the wrist, a small pellet fell to the ground and heavy smoke erupted, covering the whole rooftop and taking everyone's sight.

What the thief hadn't noticed, was the sniper on the other building behind him, who aimed at his back the entire time and just had to pull the trigger to hit KID where he was standing. But Shinichi had.

The second he recognized KID's movement from all the previous heists, he was running.

"KID!"

The next moment, he barreled into the thief's side and KID stumbled, barely caught himself and used his momentum to swivel around the second he heard a hiss and then the sound of a bullet hitting a hard surface.

"Kudou, get down!" KID yelled at the detective, who was still standing in the middle of the rooftop, presenting a perfect target for the sniper on the other roof as the smoke slowly dissipated.

But the teen didn't move an inch. He just stood there, absolutely still, on the spot he had pushed KID away from and stared into nothingness. A thin trail of blood was trickling down his cheek.

 _'Damn, he's zoning out.'_

A brief look around for Snake showed that the man had already fled and the small helicopter was gone, but the sniper could still be there.

Quickly going through his options, he grabbed Shinichi's arm and dragged the unresponsive detective through the door and down the stairs, through corridors and back doors, until they reached a storage room.

He shook him lightly. "Hey, come on - now is not the time to daydream."

Even while he was saying that, Shinichi suddenly collapsed like all strength had left his muscles at once.

"Shit, don't do this, Kudou!" KID caught him in the last moment, so Shinichi's head was spared the harsh impact on the tiles.

 _'No, no, no - this isn't a zone out anymore - it's a fugue.'_

He knew, that the other now was unable to come out of it by himself and it was at risk to slip into a rage if no one broke him out of his own mind. Just from what had occurred on the rooftop this shouldn't have happened. Kudou was used enough to criminals and bullets to not be that affected by it. KID got the nagging feeling that it most likely had something to do with the sleeping gas he'd used on him earlier.

The thief cursed. He had no other choice than to let the detective into one of his secrets, no matter how much he wanted to avoid it. No one gets hurt on a heist. A simple rule, and he intended to stand to it.

After getting into a more comfortable position, he closed his eyes and reached out for the other teen's roiling senses, briefly recoiling from the sheer force, but pushing through.

It wasn't done with much finesse or sensitivity, but determination did the trick as well, as long as the Guide was strong enough to overpower the Sentinel for a moment. It was enough to open a path that Shinichi could use to find back to reality on his own.

It was exhausting and not really recommended, but the normal way to guide based on trust and that wasn't really something they had established at this point.

KID leaned back as Shinichi's eyes cleared, still a bit disoriented, but he was coherent enough to realize what just had happened.

"You're a… Guide. A Rank A Guide! You-hmmnpf-"

The thief hurriedly covered his mouth with a gloved hand. "Yes - impressive deduction, thanks, I knew that already. No need to announce it to the whole city."

"But, how…" Shinichi brought out after KID released him again.

"I have my ways to avoid attention when I want to or did you think I'm always this flashy?"

"Right,... " Shinichi still had a hard time collecting his thoughts and decided to tackle this problem later. "...and thanks."

KID waved him off. "Don't mention it. It was partly my fault anyway with the sleeping gas and all. Though had I known that you would react so badly to it, I would have come up with something different. So, sorry, I guess."

Shinichi just nodded while his brain played catch up with the latest events.

"Who was that guy with the ugly mustache?"

KID laughed. "That's one way to describe him. Now see, I think you and me need to have a conversation, but not right now. And you need to see your pretty lady to fix you, 'cause what I did was a poor patch up at best. She should be on her way already if she is following the Sentinels on the task force that are certainly coming soon."

Shinichi gave him a questioning look.

"I might have been a tiny bit stressed out when you lost it and maybe I gave out a little distress signal?" KID admitted almost sheepishly, embarrassed that he had lost control in such an un-KID-like manner.

Ah, right. A Guide in danger, in pain or really worried, gave out a signal to the Sentinels around him, who were drawn to the Guide in need, no matter if they were a pair or not. It was a reminder that the Sentinels weren't only dependent on the Guides, but the other way round it was also true. They protected each other.

KID gave him a last once-over and then stood up. "Too bad I dropped the jewel on the roof. I hope Snake didn't get it," he said and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I think you will manage till your Guide is here, so that is my cue to leave. But don't worry - we will see each other soon. Until then…" He bowed, and in a puff of smoke, the thief was gone.

And now, Shinichi heard rushed footsteps just outside the room and a second later the door was flung open and behind a few officers, a panting Ran came in sight.

ooOO-OOoo  
 _A bit earlier_

Ran looked around and searched the room for Shinichi, who hadn't come back until now, and she started to worry. She didn't like to be left behind, especially on a case and though a KID heist didn't exactly qualify as such, she knew how absorbed Shinichi could get while hunting the thief.

Nonetheless, she respected his need to do stuff alone and she realized that it sometimes must be stifling for him to always be around a Guide, even if it was her. Not that he would ever push her away, she knew how much he loved her, but every person needed to be allowed time and space for themselves and that could be difficult with how often he got involved with criminals and dangerous situations.

It was the reason why she rather was with him when he was running around town, despite him being perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Trouble just seemed to find him wherever he went and so, she stuck more to his side than was usual for other Sentinel/Guide pairs. Their circumstances were just – special.

By now, Heiji had noticed as well that his fellow detective had disappeared and let his gaze wander over the crowd.

Then the lights went out and a cheerful voice boomed through the exhibition.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's show!"

The heist had begun, and Shinichi was still missing.

ooOO-OOoo

Around her, everything was chaos and noise, running people and barked orders.

Kazuha wasn't sure when, but at some point Heiji had disappeared into the crowd, ignoring her protesting shouts. On the other hand, she was almost glad to get a bit time without him. The last month, he had been unnaturally clingy - not that she complained about that.

Now, the two girls held on to each other to not get separated by the officers who stormed out of the room to follow KID, who had made off with the jewel a few seconds ago.

Kazuha was tense. "I really don't think I like those heists much, Ran-chan. And you say you guys go often?"

A nervous laugh was her answer. "Yes, well, Shinichi loves the challenge and the distraction from the more awful cases he usually works, and I can understand him somewhat. They are kind of a reprieve for him and if it makes him happy to solve the ridiculous riddles and chase after that even more ridiculous thief, who am I to deny him that?"

Once again glad that Heiji didn't get involved in nearly as many cases as Shinichi did, Kazuha gave her friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Shall we go and search for our elusive boyfriends then?"

"Boyfriend? Did Hattori-kun finally ask you out?" Ran gasped enthusiastically and Kazuha's cheeks heated up. That they were dancing around the topic of being a couple was a long-term issue, Kazuha would be all too happy to finally clear up.

"Well – not exactly…," she squirmed. "But he said he had to talk to me after the heist, so I hope that maybe…" Her voice trailed off at the end. She didn't want to get her hopes up but what if it was the real deal this time?

"I'm rooting for you! Just send me a message once you are done with… whatever you do then, okay?" her friend laughed, much to Kazuha's embarrassment, and they left the exhibition room to follow the trail of officers trapped in various contraptions.

It was baffling that even after so many heists, they still fell for the same old tricks. Shinichi would have avoided all of them, Ran was sure. If she just knew where he was, then she wouldn't feel so anxious. Not that this has been the first time he left her behind on a heist, but tonight she had a foreboding feeling that just didn't sit right with her.

She rounded a corner and suddenly, a few of the still free officers stiffened, turning to the left as one, all Sentinels as she noted.

"What…"

And then she felt him.

It hadn't happened since Shinichi came online, but just like back then, Ran felt a tug on her senses – he was in a fugue, bordering on a rage. Her stomach turned.

 _'Where?'_

During the moment it had taken her to realize what was happening, the officers had run off to wherever their instincts were leading them, and it was a pretty safe bet that Shinichi was in the thick of it, so she hurried to follow them down the museum's corridors, leaving a stunned Kazuha behind.

After what felt like hours to her high-strung mind, the alarmed feeling suddenly faded, and she almost stumbled over her own feet. The officers seemed disoriented as well, so most likely the situation was under control, but Ran wouldn't feel at ease as long as she hadn't seen for herself that Shinichi was alright.

The only door around was leading to a storage room and when the officers opened it, Ran shoved forward, not caring about who she might push away in the process.

And there he sat, blinking at them a bit dazed, but aware – and alone.

She stumbled to her knees next to him and established their connection, immediately sensing the remnants of a rough guiding from an unknown person. Fussing, she began to smooth over frayed ends.

'I'm okay,' came his reassuring thoughts and she heaved a relieved sigh, letting go of tight feeling that had coiled up inside of her.

'I'm sorry for worrying you, Ran. I didn't expect… this.'

Only vaguely, she was aware that one of the officers was asking Shinichi some questions about what happened. What she did notice though, was that his outwardly answers differed from what he really had experienced. After all, a bonded pair couldn't easily hide anything from each other without that the partner would at least notice, what was the reason they had to absolutely trust each other.

The most noticeable deviation was who had helped him. While he stated to the police that he couldn't remember and hadn't recognized the mental touch, Ran got a straight answer.

'KID.'

She suppressed any physical signs of her surprise. Not about KID helping Shinichi – he was known for going out of his way to make sure no one got harmed if he could help it. It was the fact that he was a Guide and she wondered why Shinichi was withholding this information when it was such a crucial information about the thief's identity.

To be able to guide Shinichi, he must be a Rank A and those were all registered at the MindCenter and few in numbers. Finding him would be much easier, so why was he lying?

He must have felt her confusion and smiled at her. 'I will explain it to you, I promise. Just for now, don't talk to anyone about it, please.'

She wasn't too happy about it but agreed silently. Shinichi wouldn't ask this of her without good reason and she had glimpsed a few of his thoughts about the conversation he'd had with the thief and they were confusing.

Ran helped him to stand up and remained close to his side, even though he seemed to hold up alright. She had to remember to ask Shiho for some more of the pills she always used after their sessions, because she was sure Shinichi would suffer a massive headache soon.

Because the heist was officially over and the clean up was all that was left, they went back to the entrance to meet up with Heiji and Kazuha after sending them a short text.

But only Heiji showed up, waving.

"Hey! Such tough luck - I got stuck in a goo trap and missed all tha fun and then…" He looked around, suddenly alert. "Where's Kazuha?"

Ran looked a bit ashamed. "I kind of lost her back in there when I went to look for Shinichi. I hoped she had met up with you, so…"

Heiji really wanted to know what Shinichi had been up to during the heist and seeing the weary state he was in and the bloody line on his cheek, it was bound the be interesting, but right now he was more concerned where Kazuha had run off to.

He pulled out his phone and punched her number, which he had on speed dial. For only practical reasons of course. It rang a few times and then went to voicemail.

"That's strange. I know she had her phone with her when we came here," he murmured.

"She hasn't read my last message either," Ran added worried, then addressed one of the officers passing them.

"Excuse me, we are searching for a friend who got lost during the heist. A girl with long brown hair in a ponytail, about my height. I think she wore…"

"A black skirt and a blue sweater," Heiji finished.

The officer helplessly looked at his colleagues, obviously thinking they were some of the fans who still lingered outside and just wanted to get a closer look at the place of action.

Heiji's temper began to flare at their hesitance. "Listen, if ya can't help us just say so. We were with Nakamori-keiji, is he still here?"

"I'm right here, what is this ruckus about?" A very disgruntled inspector came down the stairs from the first floor, something glittery still stuck in his hair.

He glanced at Shinichi. "Hey, was that you with the little breakdown earlier? You okay?" he asked gruffly and Shinichi only nodded. "Try to keep your emotions in check or stay home. I don't want my officers to be distracted because some Sentinel is spacing out for no apparent reason."

Right, on the KID task force weren't many Sentinels, because of the very flashy magic tricks the thief pulled off. The risk of zoning out was high and there was no time to guide them every time they got distracted. Of course that could be trained but that took time as Shinichi knew from experience. Some preferred to take Senes for the heists to get rid of their powers but in Shinichi's opinion, the Inspector should rather use his officer's talents instead of wasting an opportunity to get a leg up on KID. This discussion was one of the reasons Nakamori didn't like having him at the heists.

Now, Heiji was worried for Kazuha _and_ angry on his friend's behalf at the same time and that didn't do anything for his mood, but Ran stepped in, sensing that it wouldn't accomplish anything if the men opened a shouting match.

"Toyama Kazuha, our friend, and daughter of Chief Inspector Toyama Ginshiro here in Osaka is missing." She hoped that the emphasis on her father would speed up things. "She was with me until KID went off with the jewel but then we were separated. She's not answering her phone and we are really worried."

It seemed to be working as Nakamori took a moment to think, asked for a description and then gave order to look for Kazuha at all of his men on the premises.

"I'm sure she just got turned around in the many corridors in here and will be found quickly. Over there is a waiting area with some couches. Stay there and I will send her to you when we find her."

With that, he was done with them and continued to oversee his men.

Heiji wanted to tell him to do more, maybe run off himself to search for her when he felt Ran's hand on his arm, pulling him along to the group of couches and small tables. When the museum was open for visitors, you could even get a coffee and some snacks in the nearby kiosk, but now the blinds were down of course.

"Come - sit, Heiji. It won't do any good if you go searching and then Kazuha comes here and we have to search for you instead. And Shinichi could use the break as well," she said, giving her boyfriend a nudge to gently push him down onto the couch. "She'll be alright, I'm sure."

The uneasy feeling refused to leave him, but he sat down. Shinichi really looked dead tired, his head already sunken against the backrest and eyes half-lidded.

He lasted for almost five minutes, then Heiji got up again. "I just can't wait here - I'm goin' ta look for her now. Ya can stay here and if she comes back in tha meantime, just give me a call."

"Heiji, you…"

But he was already running away from them and back into the exhibition room where the heist had started.

* * *

 **TBC**


	5. Combining Forces

**Chapter five  
** Combining forces  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

 _' I knew that Kazuha has a kind of a crappy sense of direction, but this is ridiculous.'_

Heiji had walked through every room in the museum and still no sign of Kazuha. His worry from the beginning was slowly turning into outright fear for his stupid girl-... for his stupid friend.

He took off his cap and ran his finger through his hair, letting out a frustrated huff of air. Not even his senses had been able to pick anything up and slowly but surely he had to accept the fact that they wouldn't find her here.

She was gone. Just like that. Only because he had not listened to her when she told him to stay by her side. He had been so into the chase that he had simply ignored her.

Again.

He could slap himself for that now, but he hadn't expected that she would disappear into thin air the moment he turned around. She had been in the middle of a horde of police officers, so she should have been fine.

This had never happened before. The other cases had been different, so why?

He put his cap back on his head and closed his eyes for a moment, collecting himself. Maybe it was time to tell Shinichi what he had been working on over the last months. He didn't want to - he wanted to keep his friends out of this, but without Kazuha at his side he would need every help he could get.

What would he give for her usual chiding now. Normally, when he ditched her and came back, it took a bit of groveling to calm her temper but that was it.

The next phone call he had to make filled him with dread. Not only because telling Toyama Ginshiro that Heiji lost his daughter wasn't something he looked forward to do, but it made it real. She wouldn't just pop up somewhere and have a laugh at his expanse.

When the man picked up the call, Heiji had to swallow down a huge lump that had formed in his throat. Not really succeeding, his voice sounded rough when he greeted Kazuha's father.

"Occhan, …it's Heiji… "

ooOO-OOoo

"Hey there," Ran's soft voice greeted him when Shinichi opened his eyes. When had he closed them? He recalled the night's events and realized that he must have nodded off while waiting for Heiji to come back – hopefully with Kazuha in tow.

"Feeling any better?"

Massaging his throbbing temples, he sighed. "Nothing a potent painkiller couldn't fix. Did you hear anything from Hattori or Nakamori-keibu?"

Ran shook her head and he bit the inside of his cheek. A glance at his phone showed him that he had slept for almost half an hour. That they hadn't found Kazuha by now was more than worrying. There weren't many officers left as it seemed and the crowd outside had begun to scatter.

"Shinichi – what is going on here?"

He turned to the girl next to him and pulled her into his side, looping one arm around her shoulders to console her. Kazuha was one of her best friends and her disappearance was hard on her.

"Honestly? I'm not sure either." He lowered his voice just in case. "But I can tell you that the heists are not what we always thought they were. There is something bigger going on behind the scenes and I have the feeling that Kazuha's case has something to do with it."

"Kazuha's case?" Ran blanched - he already called it a case. "You think something really bad happened to her, don't you?"

Shinichi cursed himself. He should take better care how to word his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you and maybe I'm wrong – I really hope I am, but I'm afraid we won't find her here not matter how long we look."

Ran nodded slowly, chewing on her lips. "What happened with KID? I only got jumbled images from you and I didn't want to pry, so… can you tell me?"

Looking around them and seeing that they were alone for now, he took a deep breath.

"Of course, I promised you, right? Okay – there is a third party involved with the heists. I don't know if this is a current occurrence or if we just missed them on the other heists, but they are dangerous. They were shooting at KID and they are searching for something, just like he does."

Ran gasped and one hand gingerly traced the angry red line on his left cheek. The wound hadn't been deep, and it had already stopped bleeding when she had found Shinichi in the storage room but knowing that a bullet had graced him… Just a bit more to the right and he would have…

His finger turned her chin and she met his gaze. It always calmed her to look into his brilliant blue eyes that could stare down criminals with ease but also were so tender and loving when directed at her. It anchored her to see his determination and confidence reflected in them.

He would do anything to make sure she was safe and sound, and he knew that his own well-being was important for that. It had taken a while to pound that into his thickhead, self-sacrificing idiot that he was, but after a few close calls, she had lectured him between shouting and crying to be more considerate about his own health and he had finally listened.

That didn't mean he wouldn't throw himself on the line in a heartbeat if she was in danger but given a bit time to think things through, he would come up with a better solution. At least she hoped that, because it seemed that a case bigger than all their previous ones had begun tonight.

Trudging steps made them turn around and they saw Heiji descending the steps of the big main stair, looking utterly defeated as he reached them. His voice was hoarse and thin when he spoke.

"They can't find her… her father is filing a missing person's report…"

He held up something he had clutched in his right hand, knuckles standing out white.

Kazuha's phone.

"She's gone… I– I lost her…"

ooOO-OOoo

They stayed at Heiji's for the night and when Ran and Shinichi got up for breakfast, he had already left for the Police Department, leaving it to his mother to keep them company for the meal, not that they had much appetite.

Shinichi had taken a strong pain medication before going to bed, so he actually had slept through the night and his head was clear in the morning, but Ran had obviously tossed and turned without finding any sleep and he felt bad when he saw the bags under her eyes.

Excusing themselves shortly after they had finished eating, they followed Heiji because they just couldn't stay behind and wait for news.

Shinichi tingled with the urge to do something, to search for hints and Ran was ready to turn over every stone in Osaka to find her friend.

Entering the Police Department was nothing new for them and almost every time they had visited their friends in Osaka, they had ended up here at some point, much to the girls chagrin. So, they knew their way around here by now and had a good hunch where to find Heiji.

And even if not, as soon as they reached the floor where the cases of missing persons were handled, his loud voice was hard to miss.

"What do ya mean, ya can't do anythin' right now? Get yar lazy ass up and find her, damn it! Or nah – just lean back – I will do it myself!"

Storming out of the office, he almost collided with the sleep deprived Ran, had Shinichi not pulled her out of the way just in time.

"Ran-chan, sorry! Ya okay?" Heiji hurriedly asked, looking her over and she tried for a reassuring smile, she knew looked forced.

Heiji deflated visibly at that as if someone had opened a valve. "I'm sorry for leavin' without ya two, I know I'm not tha only one worryin' about Kazuha, it's just…"

"We understand, it's okay," Ran said and pulled him into a short hug, sensing he might need one right now.

Shinichi lightly squeezed his shoulder. "We will find her, Hattori. Don't lose yourself to despair now, we need you full functioning even if it's hard."

He knew that was easier said than done but he really needed the other to focus or he wouldn't be any help at all and Heiji wouldn't forgive himself later if he made mistakes with this one.

The tanned detective in- and exhaled slowly. "Okay, thanks. I- I think I can do this."

Shinichi eyed him critically. "How are you holding up? Do you need Ran to-"

"No, no," Heiji waved him of, looking to the ground as if he were ashamed to admit the following. "I took some Senes-2 last night and this morning, so I'll be fine."

"Just know that you can come to me anytime, okay?" Ran assured him, knowing that Senes only did so much.

Just then, an officer bumped into him, apologized and hastily rounded the next corner before Heiji even had the chance to react.

"Hey – what tha-"

"Check your pockets, Hattori," Shinichi stated calmly and after a baffled blink, Heiji obeyed.

Out of his left jacket pocket, he pulled a small slip of paper, unfolded it and read it with big eyes, then handed it to Shinichi, who looked at it with a thoughtful hum.

"He sure moves fast."

Heiji's mouth opened and closed again before he spoke. "You knew he would contact us?"

"Boys – would anyone please tell me what's going on? I feel kind of left our here," Ran complained.

"KID just delivered a note for a very special heist and it seems we are his target this time."

"What? KID?" Ran was up and about to run after the thief, but Shinichi grabbed her hand.

"Don't bother, he is long gone but we will get our chance to question him soon enough as it seems," he grinned, waving the paper in his hand. Ran took it and read.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder,

but that's not always the case.

Meet me at the sparkling sunset,

to combine our forces for this chase.

"Well, that's as straightforward as a KID riddle can get, I think," she commented the rather lackluster note.

"True, and Hattori and I will find out what he knows. Maybe for once he won't be a nutcase and actually help us. Ran, I want you to stay here at the station. Please inform us if there are any news about Kazuha."

She agreed just reluctantly, and he also didn't want to be separated from her, but even though Shinichi didn't think that KID meant any harm to them, he wanted Ran out of the way if by any chance those armed people showed up around the thief again.

He turned to Heiji. "You are a walking tourist information about Osaka – what places do you know that are connected to sunset? Places? Buildings? Anything?"

Heiji pursed his lips in thought, tapping his index finger against his cheek. "Sunset, sunset… well, there are a few restaurants that are located in skyscrapers where you can watch the sunset, but that still is a bit vague to find someone."

Shinichi was already tapping and sliding on the display of his phone, discarding ideas and trying again, until he let out a low whistle.

"Wow – KID really wanted to make sure we find the place. I almost feel insulted." He turned the phone to the others and showed them the website of a restaurant.

'Sparkling Sunset'

Heiji snorted. "Pretentious thief."

Shinichi was already one step ahead, not longer caring about the sloppy riddle. "Today the sun sets at 5.26 pm, so I think we will have an early dinner."

ooOO-OOoo

The 'Sparkling Sunset' was pretty empty this time of day. Most people were still at work and so the only few customers were sitting at the bar, getting a drink or snack.

A boy around their age with a striking semblance to Shinichi sat at a table further into the restaurant with a cup sitting on the table in front of him, waving them over. They just assumed that it was KID because who else could look at them with such an apparently open expression and still wear a Poker Face that was without equal.

They stopped at the bar to place an order for their drinks and went to the waiting thief.

Shinichi noted that he must have chosen the spot with care. He had the wall in his back and the door to the kitchen and with that most probably a back exit, was not far away, giving him an easy escape route if needed.

But for now, he seemed completely at ease with the knowledge that two detectives were coming to his table while he was not wearing the white suite of Kaitou KID.

For once, they were not greeted with the trademark smirk that drove Nakamori up the wall every heist. The thief was almost subdued, reminding them about the grave reason why they met here.

Instead of a bow, KID just inclined his head. "Detectives, glad to see you had no problems finding the place."

Shinichi just snorted and pulled a chair out to sit down, Heiji followed his example if a bit more wary in the presence of an internationally wanted thief. He hadn't attended nearly as much heist as Shinichi, and he was just willing to hear him out because his friend seemed to trust him somewhat, and if he really knew something about what happened to Kazuha, he couldn't care less about any jewels he stole.

KID noticed his attentiveness with a grin. "At ease, Hattori-san, we are here for the same reason - to find your friend."

"And all the others," Heiji added, knowing that now was the time to play with open cards - if he wanted or not.

"Others?" Shinichi raised an eyebrow. That was the first time he heard about that and Heiji looked at him with something like guilt in his eyes.

With a soft clink, a waiter placed two cokes on the table, retreating discreetly after their thanks.

Heiji pulled a tablet out of his backpack, placed it on the middle of the table and opened an app, filled with documents and photos. He turned it around to make it easier for the other two to read the content.

"These are all missin' persons reports from tha last half a year. Notice anythin'?"

They skimmed through the information and pictures, recognizing some of them when they had read about the case in the newspaper.

Age, sex, occupation, looks… nothing matched up. Only the last detail. Thief and detective looked at each other, realizing it at the same time.

"They are all Guides!"

"Ping pong, ya got it in one go. And they have one more thin' in common. All those people visited one of KID's heists but didn't make it back home."

"And all these cases are from the last six months?" KID gulped with some difficulties as his throat suddenly felt raspy. To think that something like this was going on at the sidelines of his heists made him nauseous. He skipped through the documents. "How didn't anyone notice?"

Heiji leaned back. "I think there wasn't just anybody who knew that there was somethin' ta look for and that there is a pattern ta tha disappearances. Some happened in tha midst of tha crowd outside of tha heist site, some before or after the heist. These are tha people who weren't found… in any way."

Heiji swallowed. Some missing persons where only found dead. He closed his eyes and prayed that Kazuha wouldn't be one of them.

"So, if all of these people haven't turned up again, where are they? And if they are connected - what would someone want with so many Guides? Even if they were a Sentinel who didn't want to be registered at the MindCenter, they wouldn't need that much, just one," Shinichi said, finger placed at his chin.

The thief on the other side of the table sank his gaze into his tea cup, took another spoonful of sugar and dumped it into the already overly sweet drink, stirring it quietly.

It didn't go unnoticed by Shinichi.

"You suspect it is connected to the men we encountered last night, right KID?"

"Kaito," he answered. "While I'm out of uniform it would be better to use a more common name, so just call me Kaito, please."

Somehow, Shinichi got the impression that the name was more than just a misspelling of the word 'kaitou' what meant 'thief', but decided to go with it for now.

Kaito looked at him again. "I'm afraid you are right, and I'm very sorry that your friend got caught up in this mess. If I had realized it sooner…"

"What do ya mean? Ya knew already there would be guys with guns? That was yar whole reason ta take Kudou out, wasn't it? So he wouldn't get into tha crossfire."

"True, but I only made the connection to the missing persons after I heard about Toyama-san."

"How?" Shinichi was curious to know how KID was so well informed about a police investigation, especially such a recent one. After all, Kazuha hadn't been officially reported missing until after the heist had ended and KID had already gotten away.

Kaito squirmed a bit on his seat, uncomfortable to share something about his private life, but he needed their trust, so a flippant 'I have my ways.' wouldn't do. "My civil identity might be acquainted with Nakamori-keibu, and might have happened to be there to hitch a ride back home after the heist, and maybe the Inspector dropped a few details…"

Both detectives stared at him.

"Kaitou KID lets himself be driven home by tha very Inspector who tries ta catch him?" Heiji burst out unbelievingly. "That's - insane! And actually, it fits what I know of ya perfectly."

Shinichi just shook his head. The thief always found new ways to surprise him.

"Hush!" Kaito hissed. "While I trust the owner of this noble establishment as he is the friend of a friend, I can't vouch for all the customers, so I would really appreciate it if you could keep your voice down. Secret identity and all." He grinned at the Osakan right after. "But I can understand your astonishment, so you're forgiven."

That made Heiji splutter even more and he almost choked on his coke.

Mindful, Shinichi watched the other detective. "You've been investigating this for some time now - why didn't you tell me?"

Heiji felt the weight of Kazuha's phone he was carrying in his pocket and he swallowed. "Because I didn't want ya ta get involved. Rank A Guides are rare and I wasn't sure if Ran would be targeted. Ya two are almost regulars at tha heists, so attendin' wasn't tha problem, but what if someone noticed that ya investigate them? I have been extremely careful not ta leave a trace when I pulled tha files, but still… That now Kazuha is missin' is my fault alone. I thought she would be safe in tha middle of a police force…"

Kaito cringed inwardly. For something like this to happen during his heists was unforgivable. Like Hattori had said, the people counted on being safe when they came to his shows. He clenched his fists under the table.

Meanwhile, Shinichi was already running through different options of what could have happened.

"What about the distress signal?" he asked. "If Kazuha was attacked, why didn't we Sentinels get any signal from her like they did with… whoever the Guide was that helped me?" he tried to gloss over his almost slip up. That KID was a Rank A was a detail he had kept from Heiji so far, as it wasn't his secret to tell.

"There are just two possibilities. Either she didn't have the time to react or she went willingly," Kaito listed, thinking about the strong sedatives he used for his sleeping gas. If the culprit used something similar, she would have been out immediately.

Shinichi agreed. "That's something I wondered about too. There were officers stationed at all entrances during the heist, so one should think they would have noticed an unconscious girl, but no one has seen anything suspicious. How did they get her to leave? With whom would she go even without telling Hattori that she was leaving?"

With crossed arms, Heiji pondered the question. There had been no incoming calls on her phone aside from his own and as far as he remembered, there hadn't been any people they knew at the heist. Fact was that Kazuha had been with Ran until shortly after KID had taken the jewel. After that, someone must have approached her with whatever reason that had convinced her to leave the heist without at least trying to call him - what meant it had been an emergency.

It was nothing concerning her family, her mother and father were both safe and sound, so who…

"The MindCenter!" he suddenly exclaimed, startling the other two out of their own thoughts.

Shinichi needed a moment before he understood. "You mean there might have been an emergency with a connection?"

It was possible. Just like Ran, Kazuha as a Rank B Guide was asked to assist at the center from time to time and if it had been really urgent, she maybe didn't think about calling. But if it had been the real centre, the police would have found her there by now and she would have made contact with Heiji as soon as possible.

But what if someone just pretended to be from the MindCenter to get her to follow?

It were all just speculations right now. They needed more clues. What brought Shinichi back to the thief at their table.

"I think it's time that you tell us what you know about those men who tried to kill you, Kaito."

After a last unsure look at the detectives, Kaito composed himself. This was no longer just between him and Snake. Innocent people were in danger and maybe he could have done something sooner, had he only realized what was going on. The least he could do now was to assist in any way possible.

"They call themselves the Dark Syndicate and the man you saw last night, Kudou, is named Snake. He turns up every now and then since I began with the heists a few years ago and he has been around way back when the white cape hadn't been mine yet."

Remembering what he knew about the early KID heists, Shinichi nodded. A different person under the guise of the phantom thief made sense. Especially because he was sure that at least Kaito's age was matching his current appearance. He was wondering again if this was his real face or just a disguise, because if it was his actual face, it was almost disturbing how much they looked alike. Before he could worry about what that could mean for him if the thief ever decided to impersonate him, Kaito went on.

"They are searching for a jewel - Pandora, and it is said to 'enhance your life', and whatever that exactly means, it seems to be important enough to kill without remorse. Like they did with the first KID."

Something in his voice caught Shinichi's attention. That wasn't just the sorrow over a late role model, this was pure grieve and not even KID was able to hide such a raw emotion completely. Patiently, he waited for Kaito to continue because no matter how curious he was about the whole story behind Kaitou KID, this wasn't about finding evidence against the thief. He wanted to help them, and knowing how resourceful KID was, he would accept his help gladly. Capturing him could wait until Kazuha and the other kidnapped victims were back with them.

"I'm gonna find it before them and destroy it, so no more people will be in danger over a stupid rock."

"Enhance one's life, huh? That's kind of vague if ya ask me. Ta take a life just because some old text seems extreme."

Not that humans needed much of a reason to harm each other as Shinichi experienced on a nearly daily basis. Sadly enough, it was what made his job as a homicide detective necessary in the first place.

"What I don't understand is why you think that the cases are connected. Couldn't it be coincidental that the victims are taken during your heists?" Heiji pointed out.

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment, then leveled an intent gaze first at Heiji then at Shinichi. "I have a theory regarding the legend of Pandora and what it really does."

The detectives watched him expectantly while he took a moment to gather his resolve. He had never told anyone about his speculations, not even his assistant, because if it was true and someone succeeded in using the stone, all hell would break loose.

"I think Pandora gives you the power to turn a Neutral into a Sentinel."

"What?" Heiji and Shinichi exclaimed unison.

That would be revolutionary – and problematic in many kinds of ways. Researcher tried for years now to discern what in the genetic code made the difference between a Natural, a Guide and a Sentinel but hadn't found anything yet.

There were people who felt discriminated because they didn't have heightened senses and wanted Guides and Sentinels neutralized, if not permanently then with a drug like Senes. They thought about the gifts as abnormal, but if one looked more closely, most of them were just jealous they were 'only' Neutrals.

The other side were the ones who wanted to make it possible for everyone to become a Sentinel if they wished to – not for free, that much was sure. The human tendency for superiority was a gold mine.

And not to forget about the military use if one succeeded to absolutely control what senses were activated and to what extent.

Kaito had felt just as unbelieving when he first heard about Pandora's legend and had found it quite far-fetched, but as long as there were people who believed and who were willing to stop at nothing, KID would be there. It was his legacy. That he would at some point join forces with his detectives hadn't been his intention but with these two he could make it work as they saw more than just a criminal in him. At least for now. What would happen once this case was resolved was a different matter entirely. He cleared his throat. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Let's just assume for a moment that the Syndicate really is experimenting with artificial Sentinels and maybe are close already – they would need Guides to keep them in check, especially if some high levels came online."

The thief was right, but the timing stroke Shinichi as odd. "But – they don't have Pandora yet, so why already take the risk of kidnapping Guides and attract attention?"

"Well – I think we all agree that a mere stone no matter how valuable, won't do anything on its own, so I'm assuming that there is more to Pandora and maybe the Syndicate has access to information we don't have. If they already decoded Pandora's secret, it wouldn't be surprising if they were working with substitutes, because what if it doesn't have to be Pandora specifically. What if another stone with the same cut or color would do as well? The legend is not very clear about what kind of stone Pandora is – just that it is a doublet because when you hold it against the moon's light, you can see the second stone inside it and it shines red."

Missing Guides.

A criminal syndicate, craving for power.

A stone that possibly could turn you into a Sentinel

There was just too much they didn't know, yet they had to start somewhere if they wanted to accomplish anything. They exchanged numbers with Kaito, whose phone looked like a cheap burner phone, and agreed to keep in touch if anything new came up.

Shinichi shoved the thought away that with just one call to Nakamori, he could find out KID's identity now. He just had to ask who had been driving with him last night. He was sure that KID knew that too and didn't let that information slip by accident.

It was a token of trust. He wouldn't tell them outright who he was, but he wasn't hiding from them either.

* * *

 **A/N: Sooo much talking... I' sorry, but I had to get them all on the same page somehow ^_^***

 **Thanks again for your comments and support, it really makes posting the story so much more fun!**


	6. Trains and Distractions

**A/N:** **I wish you all a merry Christmas! Have a new chapter as a little present :)**

* * *

 **Chapter six**  
Trains and Distractions  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

After leaving the restaurant, Heiji and Shinichi were on their way back to the police station to meet up with Ran. There were no news about Kazuha, and Heiji withdrew back into himself, attempting not to go crazy.

Shinichi chewed on his lips on the train back. He had already decided that he wanted Ran as far away as possible from this case, the question was how he got her to comply. If he outright told her about Guides being targeted, she would still insist to stay, even more so if she realized that this case would take longer than a day or two. She had never left his side for more than absolutely necessary since they came online, no matter how often Shinichi reassured her that it would be alright.

At least he had been able to convince her to keep up with her karate training. He would feel awful if she'd put her life on hold just because of him, and he wasn't _that_ bad. There were days where nothing happened at all, sometimes even a few days in a row. His life was not always murder and drama, mind you.

The train rattled on the rails and Shinichi gripped onto one of the handles that dangled from the ceiling to keep his balance. It was rush-hour and the wagons were packed with people. He was just glad that they had to get off in three stops - he never felt comfortable stuck in a crowd. Also, he was getting tired and his control began to slip, what made itself known in form of a conversation at the other end of the train, he could hear as if he was standing next to the - couple? At least he thought they were a couple, because it sounded like an old married pair, bickering with each other.

"Ahoko, I told you I'm sorry for making you wait. I just lost track of time when I crossed the park and there were some children who begged me for a little magic show when they saw me juggling. You know I can't say no to them when they look at me with those big begging eyes."

A female voice sighed. Young, maybe Ran's age, just like the male was most likely as old as Shinichi. But voices could be deceiving.

"Yes, I know that Bakaito, all kids love you and you are too nice for your own good sometimes. I get it, really," the girl sighed dejectedly. Shinichi hoped the boy would pick up on that as well. "I just wished that sometimes…"

"Aoko…"

Yes, he doesn't seem to be too dense. Come to think of it, 'Ahoko' seemed to be some kind of nickname, if not a very nice one.

"Forget it, it's no big deal - we will go shopping another day," she perked up, but Shinichi could still hear the hurt tone she tried to hide.

"So, what tricks did you show them?" she diverted the conversation from herself, and the boy, all too happy to go with the flow, began to describe in detail with what kind of magic he had awed the children, always being careful not to explain how it was done.

Shinichi smiled despite himself. The boy sure sounded cheerful and the voice was a pleasant tenor and enjoyable to listen to. With just the slightest bit of guilt for eavesdropping into their conversation, he used the boy's voice as a filter and concentrated solely on the rise and fall of his timbre.

The longer he listened, the more familiar the voice was to him. Something he just couldn't put his finger onto tingled at the edge of his awareness.

Suddenly, he was jolted out of his musings when the same voice let out a warning growl and then shouted, "Aoko!"

As if being pulled by an invisible string, Shinichi pushed his way through the other standing passengers until he was met with an all too familiar scene.

A crying, shocked girl kneeling on the floor, a boy at her side, holding her tight and another woman who was clutching her side, where blood was soaking through her coat. Just then, the train came to a stop at the next station and the doors opened. Without thinking, Shinichi dashed out as well, following a man who was running down the platform with a handbag under his arm.

„Stop! He's got a knife!" he yelled, hoping that the station security would get to him before someone else was hurt.

Startled by his outcry, most people in his immediate vicinity scattered, but still he had to shoulder through what seemed like a wall of people and the thug was much rougher than him, therefore getting through faster.

Just when he thought he would lose him, the man suddenly collapsed without any obvious reason and Shinichi finally came to a stop next to him, panting a bit. There was no need to secure the man as he was out like a light and it didn't seem like he would get up anytime soon. Looking around, Shinichi couldn't find any cause for his loss of consciousness, and checked his breathing and heart rate that both were normal.

At last, two officers from the station security showed up and took over. Shinichi told them to not only call the police but an ambulance as well for the hurt woman. He looked back to the train and saw how Heiji was leading her to a bench at the side, and Shinichi let out a relieved breath. If she was well enough to walk mostly on her own, she hopefully wasn't off too bad.

He still wondered why the man had collapsed just like that and his gaze brushed over the heads of the curious bystanders to see if maybe someone would come forth who had knocked out the thief, but nothing happened.

Until he looked back to Heiji, where now also the girl, Aoko, was waiting for the police to give her testimony, and next to her…

… stood a boy Shinichi recognized, and now the voice fell into place with mocking laughter inside his head.

Apparently, the name he had given them at their meeting hadn't been made up and he was still wearing the same clothes as in the 'Sparkling Sunset'.

 _'I don't think this was how he wanted us to find out his real identity.'_

'Bakaito' or rather Kaito aka Kaitou KID, for sure hadn't planned to be on the same train as them or to get caught up in a petty theft – oh the irony. Now, the knocked-out thug made a lot more sense, considering that sleeping gas was somewhat KID's trademark weapon to take out any pursuers. That he had been able to get the man over such a distance was remarkable, but not surprising, knowing what tricks KID had up his sleeves.

When Shinichi neared the little group, Kaito's face was carefully expressionless, waiting as to how the detectives would react to this unplanned revelation.

Well - now the cat was out of the bag and because as a witness he had to give his full name and address, they suddenly knew more about KID then they had hoped to find out this night.

Kuroba Kaito lived in Ekoda and the girl with him was Nakamori Aoko. Yes, Nakamori as in Inspector Nakamori Ginzo and they even stated to be a Sentinel/Guide pair. What puzzled Shinichi was the Rank Kuroba claimed to have as a Guide. Rank C, while Shinichi knew for certain that he was a Rank A or he wouldn't have been able to guide him at all.

What was going on? A cover up for his hidden identity? And did Aoko know about his night-job? And if she really knew, what about Inspector Nakamori?

With so many questions whirling through his mind, Shinichi almost didn't notice the appraising gaze, Kuroba threw him. His usually perfect Poker face was strained under the pressure of being found out by not one but two detectives at once and Shinichi could see that he was trying to estimate their next moves.

As far as Shinichi was concerned, the thief didn't have to worry. He wanted KID as an ally and not behind bars and he was sure that Heiji was on the same page, so he gave him a small nod that let KID know that his secret was safe with them.

Kaito's stance relaxed a bit at that and he found back to his banter with Aoko that reminded Shinichi of Kazuha and Heiji what in turn had him worried for his friend who looked really down right now.

They gave the police all necessary information and Shinichi sent Ran a short text that they were on their way back. The next talk with Kuroba could wait until tomorrow. It was late and Shinichi had to make a few calls to get Ran back to Tokyo.

ooOO-OOoo

"Mouri Detective Agency, the great Mouri Kogoro speaking."

Shinichi groaned inwardly. Ran's father would never change as it seemed. Always big words but sadly not much skill to back them up.

"Occhan, this is Shinichi, I need a favor," he came straight to the point. I didn't want to drag out this conversation any longer than necessary.

A harrumph sounded through the phone.

"I knew the day would come. You need money, right? Did your parents finally cut you off?"

"What? No! Why would they… never mind." Shinichi dragged a hand down his face, already exasperated after exchanging just a few sentences with the man. "Listen, I know you've never been too happy about Ran coming online as a Guide, or well - as _my_ Guide, but you should know by now that I only ever want the best for her. And the best for her right now is… not to be with me."

Saying it out loud hurt even more than just planning it. She was his other half and his safe haven, and that not only as a Guide. He could depend on her not matter what and she would always have his back.

"You… WHAT? Are you dumping my sweet daughter? I will-"

"Mouri-san," he changed to the more polite addressing on purpose, hoping the older man would realize that he was being serious. "I'm certainly not dumping Ran, I'm trying to protect her."

Silence.

"What do you need?"

A relieved sigh escaped Shinichi. At least Mouri was willing to listen and knowing him, he would jump at the opportunity to get his daughter away from Shinichi's 'bad influence' even if only temporary.

"You have to call her back to Tokyo and keep her there. Use whatever premise you need. She can't stay here in Osaka."

Another moment of silence.

"What happened that you can't handle it, I wonder. Usually you're so confident in your abilities and now you say you can't keep her safe? What's going on there and why do you think that you should stay while you send Ran away? Won't that complicate your… circumstances?"

Mouri had never been a fan of the whole Sentinel/Guide thing. He himself was a Neutral and he had hoped that his daughter would be one too, but fate had decided differently.

"I can't really talk about it now, because the investigation is still at the beginning, but someone is targeting Guides and last night Toyama Kazuha vanished. I want to keep Ran out of it as much as possible, but she won't just go if I tell her, so I need you to call her and convince her to go back to Tokyo."

He heard Mouri humming in thought and really hoped that he would just agree already.

"I will see what I can do, but for Ran's sake I'm not sure if it is wise of you to take on this case. She's really hung up on you and she would be heartbroken if something happened to you."

A bit taken aback by what could almost count as concern about his well-being, Shinichi gulped.

"Don't worry, I'm not working alone and I will be as careful as possible."

"I see - you won't give up on this one, will you?"

"I can't, Kazuha is a friend - Ran's as well."

"Alright, I will see what I can do but don't expect miracles, you know how Ran can be."

"I know, thanks, Occhan."

He hung up and wondered what Mouri would make up to distract her.

Next he had to take care of his, how Mouri had called it, circumstances. He picked up his phone again and selected a contact. His call was picked up after just two rings.

"Kudou-kun, I hope this is urgent, I'm about to head home."

"It is, I can assure you, Miyano." He inhaled deeply. She was very careful with everything work related and if she refused to help him, he had a problem. He decided to cut straight to the point. Round about ways didn't work well with her.

"During the last KID heist, a case popped up and now I have to send Ran away to keep her safe and I kind of need Senes-3, 4... and 5." He winced at the volume of her answer even though he had anticipated her reaction.

"5?! Did you just say you need Senes-5? Kudou-kun, you know how I think about that and you will have to give me a damn good reason to send you some of those, or really anything at all. Even Senes-4 is not safe for you to use. Aren't you just being overprotective? Ran-san is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. You should know that best. After all, she gets plenty opportunities to train her karate moves on you when you are being an idiot again."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the speech, Miyano, but I think in this case being a former karate champion won't help her at all. Last I checked, bullets are faster than fists."

Shiho inhaled sharply. Guns weren't that unusual with Shinichi's line of work but normally, he was called to the crime scene after the worst was over. This sounded different.

"What did you get yourself into this time?"

"Miyano, Guides are disappearing. Kazuha is already missing, I - I can't put Ran at risk."

"And you think putting yourself at risk is much better? Especially with Senes-5? You know what happens if the substance is misused, you've seen it."

"I know. But still - I have to help Hattori, he is losing his head already as it is and I'm afraid of what might happen if I leave him to his own devices. I will use Senes-5 just as a last-ditch resort, I promise. I just can't afford to be out of commission when it counts, so please…"

She groaned. "Alright, I get it. I will approve the prescription to the MindCenter in Osaka, so you can pick it up there in about an hour. Just - be careful, you get it?"

"Right, I will. Thank you, Miyano, and maybe you can have an eye on Ran when she is back in Tokyo? I have Mouri-occhan lure her back with some excuse."

"Of course. Later, Kudou-kun."

ooOO-OOoo

Ran kneeled with Shinichi and Heiji at the traditional Japanese styled table in the Hattori's dining room. The house was more of an estate, the family of old Osakan blood and pretty well off. Heiji's father, Hattori Heizo, was the Superintendent of the Osaka Police Headquarters and Toyama Ginshiro's superior. As soon as he had heard what had happened, he pulled out all the stops to find the girl. So far without results.

The boys had told him about their suspicion about someone leading Kazuha away from the heist under false pretense and the police had confiscated the security tapes to search them for any hint of her whereabouts.

Because they couldn't talk about KID's involvement or Pandora, they couldn't hint at the missing Guides for now without any proof.

There wasn't much else they could do now but wait. Not that any of them was faring well with that but without any real leads, their hands were tied.

Shinichi had given Ran the rough outlines of their meeting with KID, telling her the same abridged version as Heiji's father, but she knew very well that he was holding something back. There was more than they let on, but even his mind tried very hard to keep it a secret from her. If she pushed hard enough, she could easily break down his defense, but she respected his secretiveness for now, hoping he would confide in her if she gave him some room. Something had spooked him and forcing it out of him would only make him draw back even more.

Ran noticed how Shinichi gave her a strange look and almost shivered. Whatever was going through his head, it wasn't pleasant and a soft prodding against his mental fence just pushed her right back.

Aghast, she stared at him, knowing that he was planning something stupid and keeping her out on purpose to deal with it by himself. She wanted to call him out on it, to demand he tells her right now, so she could beat some sense into him, but he just turned his head away from her and began to talk to Heiji as if nothing happened.

Realizing that this time he wouldn't budge and intended to keep mum about what was really going on, she felt the ugly nausea of betrayal rise in her stomach.

She had half the mind to just crush into his mind and drag out whatever he was hiding, when her phone went off, showing her father's caller ID. After a heavy gulp, she accepted the call, even though she was not in the mood to endure another rant about her mother.

"Otou-san, hey."

"Ran, good I got a hold on you so fast."

He sounded a bit rushed and Ran frowned. Did something happen back home?

"The MindCenter called, they need you there for a connection."

"Now?" she exclaimed. "I'm not even in the city, for sure there is someone else nearby who can-"

"No! They- They said that it's an emergency and that you are the only one who can help. I already checked the train schedule. If you leave right now for the station, you can make it to the next bullet train to Tokyo."

Ran was confused and searched for Shinichi's eyes, who looked at her questioningly with one raised eyebrow. For her father to insist that she was needed at the center was rare, because she was well aware of how he thought about all this stuff, so it had to be really urgent.

She sighed and quickly thought about what she needed to go back, not wanting to pack up all her things because if she had it her way, she would be back the next morning. Leaving Shinichi alone for any longer was something she absolutely refused, even more so, now that she knew he most likely was up to something dangerous.

This boy could be so troublesome at times – he was just lucky that she loved him.

Ending the call, she turned back to the boys with an apologetic smile.

"I'm afraid I have to leave you for the night. The MindCenter in Tokyo needs my help with a newbie and apparently there is no other Guide available who could do it."

Shinichi frowned at bit. "That's too bad, but well – we can't do anything here right now anyway, so it should be okay."

She fixed him with a scrutinizing gaze, letting him know that she knew damn well that he was hiding something from her and that that discussion wasn't over. Seeing him cringe back a bit, she straightened up, satisfied she had made herself clear.

As soon as she were back tomorrow, she would confront him about it, she would make sure that he told her everything. With a kiss for Shinichi and a wave for Heiji, she left the room to grab her purse and jacket and left for the train station.

The boys heard the front door close behind her and Shinichi's shoulders sagged a bit as the tension bled out of him. Mouri had kept his word.

"Ya arranged that, didn't ya?" Heiji asked with crossed arms and levelled a knowing and maybe slightly disapproving look at his friend.

Caught, Shinichi bit his lip and nodded. He already felt bad about deceiving her, but when he had to be a liar to keep her safe, he would become just that. He just hoped she would forgive him later.

"And what do ya think ya'll do without yar Guide at hand when things get dicey? Hope that yar 'mysterious' helper from tha heist will breach in again? And don't think ya can fool me – it's obvious that is was KID and we also both know about his civil self bein' only a Rank C, though I have no clue how he managed ta hide his actual Rank."

Shinichi just shrugged. "It's KID - nothing really surprises me anymore where he is concerned. And I've already prepared for Ran's absence. Actually," he said with a glance at his phone's clock, "I'll have to leave now to get my prescription from the MindCenter. Want to tag along or do you think I'm capable of going on my own?" he asked a bit sharper than intended. It just stung a bit that everyone around him thought that he would get into trouble as soon as Ran was away – like a child that had to be supervised around the clock. He was almost eighteen for god's sake! He could get by alone just fine, thank you very much!

The fact that he was being a bit unfair right now, was shoved aside by his stubbornness and the need to be seen as an independent adolescent.

Heiji just huffed at his antics and instead of giving an answer, he stood and went to the entrance, grabbing his jacket. "Yar comin'?"


	7. False pretenses and what they lead to

**Chapter seven**  
False pretenses and what they can lead to  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

"Remind me again why you are escorting me to the MindCenter?" Shinichi asked a bit annoyed that Heiji had actually gone with him, but the other just shrugged.

"Because ya would get lost in tha streets tha moment ya would've turned around tha next corner."

"That is not true, and you know it," Shinichi grumbled back.

Heiji let out a short laugh and crossed his arms behind his head. His friend really could be a grouch sometimes. "Alright, alright - I know ya can take care of yarself, but lettin' ya go in this situation just made me feel uneasy. Ya'r without yar Guide right now just like me - and not that we could do much for each other but, can we please just stick together for now? Would make me feel a lot better."

Taken off-guard by Heiji's honesty, Shinichi gaped at him for a second, then faced forward and they both continued their way in silence for a while.

"It really wasn't your fault, Hattori," Shinichi stated quietly. "And if you feel guilty, I should as well, because I also left my Guide behind during the heist. And even though I didn't know about the disappearing people, I went willingly after an officer when I was sure he was a criminal. A non-violent one, but still." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head when his friend didn't react. "I think what I'm trying to say is - it could as well be Ran who is missing now and... " Sighing in defeat, he let his chin drop to his chest. "And that means we are both idiots, doesn't it?"

Heiji chuckled dryly. "Yea - we are, but we'll fix this. And then tha women will get a chance ta yell at us ta their heart's content."

"Sounds good to me."

They reached the center and Shinichi went straight to the counter that gave out the meds and true to Shiho's word there was a package waiting for him. He plugged it under his arm after checking the content.

"I'm almost afraid ta ask, but what did Miyano send ya?" Heiji wanted to know when they were back on the street.

"Senes-3 and 4."

"Four? That's pretty risky-"

"And Senes-5."

"Five? Are ya insane? No one takes those if he doesn't have ta. Why not only use Senes-3? It will bring yar senses down a notch and ya'll still be functionin'."

Shinichi briefly closed his eyes. If it only were that easy.

"I've built up immunity to Senes-1, 2 and 3 pretty fast, and they'll only work for an hour or two. Just enough to wrap up a case and go back home. Just my luck that the stuff doesn't affect me anymore, even after taking it just a few times. I don't even know why I asked for Senes-4 as I guess I would be pretty useless when my sight or hearing go haywire or I can't touch anything without pain exploding in my fingertips. So, Senes-5 it is - makes me completely neutral for half a day. When I take one in the morning and another at lunch-"

"Stop!"

Heiji had halted abruptly and took Shinichi by the shoulders. "Takin' two a day? Want ta kill yarself? I've seen Sentinels who abused tha meds because they couldn't take tha overstimulation, and it wasn't pretty. Sooner or later yar senses will break through when ya try ta suppress them completely and there will be no Guide who can help ya then, not even Ran-chan."

"Then what should I do, Hattori?" Shinichi was shouting now, angry because he knew all of that but didn't see another solution. "Do you want me to step down from the case? Go home and wait it out? Or will you find me a Rank A Guide to handle me? Maybe you could go ask KID if he would volunteer!"

Nervously, Heiji looked around but luckily the street was empty aside from them. "Keep it down, will ya," he hushed Shinichi. "No need ta let tha whole city know about that."

Shinichi blinked at him a few times then burst out laughing. "You know what? That stupid thief said almost the exact same thing to me."

That made Heiji grin as well and the tension that had hovered between them disappeared.

"I know ya want ta help and I would never ask ya ta quit but neither do I want ta visit ya at tha mental ward, so please - let us find another way."

Letting out a long breath, Shinichi agreed. He didn't want that either. "What about you, Hattori?"

Heiji waved him off. "Not a problem, I'll be fine."

It sounded a bit too cheerful and Shinichi knew his friend's temperament good enough by now. That he would be able to stay calm the whole time in this situation was more than unlikely.

"Hattori," he sighed. "No need to play it down with me. You know that I can tell when you are not honest. You are a terrible liar. One of your best traits if you ask me."

Heiji's gaze was stuck to the pavement while they walked on. "Might have fug…."

The rest of the sentence was lost in mumbling and Shinichi knew that he had been right.

"What was that?"

"I said, I might have fugued a bit at tha station tha mornin' I left ya two behind at home," Heiji admitted, obviously peeved by the fact that he hadn't been in control of himself. "Wasn't a problem, really - one of tha Guides with tha police reined me in right away. I only took Senes-1 so far and it still works well enough so there is no risk that I will go out of hand anytime soon. And if I do, there are enough capable Guides around that can give me a hand."

"Good to know, I would hate to face you in a rage with all your combat experience from kendo," Shinichi shuddered, attempting to lift the mood again.

The fact that Heiji was hot-tempered and had raged more than once because of that was a sore spot, but the Osakan knew that Shinichi had it rough as well. Maybe he wasn't prone to raging but his status as 5s with all his senses heightened all the time was more than tiring and he zoned much faster than he liked.

"Well, as long as I don't have ta call Ran-chan ta tell her ya zoned out tha moment she's gone, we're all good."

Their laughter was just short, dampened by the concerns that weighed heavily on both of them. If only they had a lead or anything to investigate - they wouldn't feel so helpless.

"Let's go home. It's late and Ran-chan will be back tomorrow ta chew ya out."

Shinichi cringed at the thought. "Let's hope that Occhan can keep her away longer or the whole plan would have been pointless."

ooOO-OOoo

When Ran arrived at Tokyo Station, she didn't bother to go home first. If it really was an emergency, it was best to get to the center as soon as possible. Also, she wanted to be done with this soon, catch some sleep and be back in Osaka early tomorrow morning.

Somewhere during the ride between the two towns, the feeling of betrayal had changed into anger and also one part worry, but Ran forced herself to keep that part small, as she didn't want to run out of steam before she'd had the chance to give her genius boyfriend a really good piece of her mind.

With a for her unusual stormy expression, she stalked through the parting glass-doors of the MindCenter and straight to the Connection Room. When she turned the last corner, she bumped into something solid and landed on her backside with an 'oof'.

The sound was echoed by whatever, or rather whoever she'd run into. Looking up, she recognized Shiho, who also sat on the floor, catching her breath.

"Oh my - sorry, Miyano-san, I was in a hurry and lost in thoughts. Did I hurt you?"

The researcher got up and held her hand out to Ran, to hoist her to her feet as well. "No no, don't worry." Her gaze went over Ran's shoulder as if searching for something behind her.

"Isn't Kudou-kun with you?"

Ran shook her head. "No, he is in Osaka, working on a case with Hattori-kun. I'm just here because I was called to help with a new connection. It was so urgent that it couldn't wait and no other Guide was available."

Shiho let out a small surprised sound at hearing that. She was aware that there wasn't a connection tonight, so she assumed it was a ploy Shinichi had made up. But maybe she was wrong if it was an emergency... "Well, then I don't want to hold you up. Good luck with the connection," she said and waved in passing.

Waving as well, Ran smiled. She really should ask Shiho to join her for coffee sometime. She was sure they could become real friends if she only got the woman to open up to her a bit.

The thought lightened up her mood, and she still smiled when she entered the Connection Room, were just Toda Masao sat at his desk, a pot of tea and a cup next to him.

He looked up in surprise. "Ran-san, to what do I owe the pleasure this late? Is everything alright? Where is Kudou-kun?"

The warm feeling inside her spread out. She always felt comfortable around Toda. He had been so kind to both her and Shinichi back when they came online, explaining them how everything worked. During the last two years, he had been a constant support when something went wrong or she just needed someone to share her concerns with. Because being the Guide for a Level 5s wasn't always a walk in the park.

What if she wasn't good enough? What if she messed up and failed in guiding Shinichi back when he needed her?

Toda had helped her with all those insecurities like a fatherly mentor. He even looked the part with his narrow glasses, graying hair and the clean cut beard, covering just the edge of his chin and connecting under his nose like a thin moustache. Even though he wasn't a father, he seemed more capable to fill the role of a parent, what mostly was due to Kogoro's drinking problem that he had developed after Eri, Ran's mother, had left him.

Instead of a caring parent and a successful police officer, he now was a drunkard who ran a shabby private detective agency and Ran had to take care if him instead the other way round.

He loved her, she knew that. He was just bad at showing or communicating his true feelings, preferring to hide behind feigned joviality and macho talk. Sometimes, he was whiny too. It was like looking after a six-year-old, really.

Ran sighed at the thought what kind of mess would most probably await her when she returned to the agency and the apartment above it. The man couldn't keep order to save his life. If left to his own devices, he would live of beer and junk-food.

But what bothered her most was his underlying hostility towards Shinichi. When Ran and Shinichi had been small, their parents had been friends and therefore they had seen each other very often even outside of preschool and had become close friends.

Back then, the adults had made fun about them being a couple and even held a fake marriage, but when Shinichi was fifteen, his parents had moved to L.A., both yearning a jet-set life as a well-selling author and a former actress.

Shortly after, Shinichi and Ran had come online.

Shinichi's parents didn't come back.

The thought saddened her to the day that they hadn't been there for him during that difficult time. She had tried her best to make up for that, but parental love was something she couldn't replace.

With her moving into Shinichi's house, what had been a game suddenly became reality and Ran's father had been blindsided with how fast everything around him changed. Maybe he would eventually come to terms with it when they were of legal age. She really hoped that, because she wanted his consent when she married Shinichi for real.

A little cough brought her out of her musings and she realized that she must have spaced out for a moment.

She smiled a bit sheepishly and went over to the modern styled steel desk with a flat screen on it. In front of it stood two equally modern chairs that were surprisingly comfortable despite their spartanic look. Behind her, on the other side of the room, was a lounge corner were the participants for the connection could relax and ease into their new situation.

Taking a seat on the right, like she always did when she was in this room, Ran expectantly looked at Toda, who in turn watched her inquisitive. Both waited for the other to speak and in the end it was Ran who broke the silence.

"So, where are they?"

Toda's eyebrows disappeared under his bangs. Sometimes Ran wondered if Shinichi would look like him when he was older. Seeing that Toda looked similar to Yusaku, Shinichi's father, that was possible. How would Shinichi look with a beard…

"Where is who?"

"Huh?"

"Who did you expect to be here?"

Now Ran was at a loss. "The… Sentinel and Guide. The connection you called my father for? He told me to come here as fast as possible. I even left Shinichi behind to get here tonight. Don't tell me he made me travel all the way for nothing! If he was drunk again, I swear-"

"Ran-san," Toda said and held up a hand, cutting into her ranting. "Please, calm down. I'm sure we can sort this out quickly."

He reached for his phone and from the conversation, Ran realized that he must have called the front desk to ask them if they had contacted her father.

"Yes - no no, it's okay. I'll handle it, thank you."

He hung up and turned back to Ran. "I'm very sorry, Ran-san. There seemed to be a misunderstanding somewhere. I don't have a connection scheduled for tonight and the woman at the front desk right now has only begun to work an hour ago, so she doesn't know of any calls before that. Of course we will refund your train ticket. Did you plan to go back to… where did you say is Kudou-kun now?"

"No, I might as well stay at my father's for the night now that I'm here. Shinichi is in Osaka with a friend. We went to the KID heist and…" She stopped right there not sure how much she should tell someone who wasn't part of the ongoing investigation.

"Will he be alright on his own? It is very rare for you two to split up," Toda asked with a frown, knowing of Shinichi's tendency to get into trouble.

Thinking back on Shinichi's behaviour when she had left, Ran wasn't so sure about that either, but putting up a front, she smiled reassuringly. "Of course, and it's only for one night anyway."

Toda hummed and watched her pensively. "Say, now that you went through the trouble of coming here, would you mind helping me with something?"

Ran shrugged. "Sure, why not. What is it?"

"I want to test if you are capable of reaching Kudou-kun even over this great distance. We've never had the chance to try it before so this is a wonderful opportunity. Maybe you'd want to sit down on the couch?" he said and gestured over to the cozy seating area, already getting up himself.

Creating a connection over a distance was something she trained constantly and while she could find him or sense him most of the time, it wasn't the same as when they were close to each other, where they could exchange thoughts and influence each other's minds.

So, Ran followed Toda's advice, considering that it would take a lot of concentration and sitting there would be much more comfortable, she sat down and leaned back with closed eyes. It was much easier to search for Shinichi's mind's pattern when she wasn't distracted by the world around her.

What she didn't notice thereby, was how Toda took a small bottle out of the top drawer of his desk and emptied the content into a second cup and filling it up with tea.

"Ran-san, I think some tea might help you to relax, here - have some. It is my favourite herbal mixture at the moment. I'm sorry it's not all that hot anymore but that way you can drink it better, right?"

With a grateful nodd, Ran sat up again and took a long sip, sighing when the warm liquid ran down her throat.

Toda took the cup from her again and placed it on the small table next to the couch.

"Now, I want you to turn inwards and try to reach out to Kudou-kun. Take your time and imagine how it feels like to touch his mind."

Ran closed her eyes again, leaned back once more and released all the tension from her muscles that had built up there over the day. She consciously slowed down her breathing and sent her mind out to find her other half.

Farther and farther she went, a longer distance than she'd ever crossed before.

Just when she thought it wasn't possible after all and her mind began to strain, she saw some brilliant blue flashing before her inner eyes.

'Shinichi.'

But before she could reach him and close the last distance, everything went black.

Toda looked at her sleeping form, then got up and put her cup and the bottle that had contained the sedative into his bag. She would wake up in a few minutes again, just aware enough to walk by herself, but not really responsive.

"I'm sorry, Ran-san, I didn't want to drag you into this but I'm still missing a Rank A Guide and I finally found _it_."

ooOO-OOoo

Kogoro stared at his desk and lifted the beer can standing to his right. It left a wet ring on the wooden surface and the sloshing sound when rotating it told him that it was almost empty.

Again.

Taking the last sip, he turned to chuck it to the other cans he had already taken care of tonight, and halted in the movement.

"Darn it! If Ran sees that, she will throw a fit," he grumbled into his moustache. He got up reluctantly and began to collect the trash into a bag he'd grabbed upstairs from the kitchen counter. When all cans were inside, rattling when he shook it, he grinned, satisfied.

"There - all better."

Even if he had called her here under a false pretense, because the MindCenter never had called him, he wanted to spend some quality time with his daughter. She shouldn't feel obliged to clean up after him. She did that all the time and he knew how much it bothered her, so he would try to be less - well, messy.

He looked around, searching for other things he could tidy up before she would arrive.

A wiped desk, dried up dishes and two carried out trash bags later, he sat down on the couch and waited. Eventually, he fell asleep, snoring loudly.

But Ran never came.

* * *

 **A/N:** Already the last chapter for 2018 - See you all in 2019 :))


	8. Breakfast with Kuroba

**A/N:** Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great New Years Eve. Here comes the first chapter of the year. Enjoy :)

* * *

 **Chapter eight**  
Breakfast with Kuroba  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

Shinichi woke early that morning, feeling strangely hollow.

 _'Oh right - Ran is not here.'_

Normally, she would rouse when he got up, brushing his mind with a sleepy greeting and then snuggle back into the blankets.

Today, the spot next to him was empty and cold.

Sometime during the night he'd even thought he had felt her touch on his mind and had woken, but after nothing more happened, he had written it off as a dream and drifted off again.

With a sigh, he rolled out of bed because he wouldn't find any sleep now that he'd remembered why he was alone in the first place.

He dragged his feet into the bathroom down the corridor and tried not to make too much noise as he didn't want to wake up Heiji. His friend really needed all the sleep he could get after tossing and turning all night. Let's say the walls in this house where thin and Shinichi had slept next to Heiji's room.

After washing up, he went back to the guest room to get dressed. He checked his phone and noticed that it was early. Way too early to be considered polite to get up and run around in someone else's house.

He settled back onto the bed and searched the internet for news regarding the heist or anything that could be connected to Kazuha's kidnapping, when the device went off in his hand.

Quickly, he accepted the call to stop the ringtone.

"Hello?" he asked. He hadn't bothered to look at the caller-ID, so he had no idea who was calling him so damn early in the morning.

"Hey, detective, rise and shine!"

 _'Oh… him. Figures.'_

He really wasn't a morning person and without coffee, he was just functioning on autopilot, but that KID, err Kaito, called could mean he found something.

"Kuroba," the name rolled off his tongue with a foreign taste to it. It was the first time he addressed the thief that way and it felt strange. "Got any leads?"

"You're right, we all know we slept like shit anyway, so why bother with pleasantries. I don't know if it is a lead, but I went to Aoko's for dinner last night after we parted ways and her father had a rather loud and upset conversation over the phone. Apparently, they didn't find the jewel I dropped on the roof, so I'm assuming that Snake took it after all."

"And, do you think it is the real deal?"

"Hard to tell - I didn't get the chance to check for the doublet because we were dodging bullets at the time but I targeted it because it was the first promising candidate after months of cheap fakes, so I wouldn't rule it out."

"If such a stone exists at all, of course."

Shinichi still had a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea of a miracle-granting jewel whose authenticity was verified by looking at it in the moonlight.

"It doesn't really matter if it's real as long as someone out there kills to find it, does it?"

Kaito's voice was carefully guarded, not letting on how he felt about the matter, what was a dead giveaway that he had some strong emotions washing through him that he tried to gloss over.

"You are personally affected by that, right? I'm mean aside from making yourself a big white target as KID."

Silence stretched out for a moment, followed by a heavy sigh.

"You know my name now, so there is nothing hindering you to look up my past."

"True."

"So - did you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how trust works. If you want to tell me your reasons, you will."

Kaito laughed and it sounded honest. "You really are a weird one, Kudou."

Shinichi smiled, he wanted to work with the thief on even terms and learning about his past on his own accord had seemed wrong to him. He had waited, and Kaito calling him by his actual name instead of the generic 'detective' was a step in the right direction.

Kaito seemed to think along the same lines. "I guess you've just earned the right to know, but I don't want to talk about it on the phone. How do you feel about breakfast? My treat and you can bring Hattori and Ran-san along. Who knows - maybe you detectives will find something I didn't, fresh point of view and such."

"Ran is away but Hattori always appreciates good food and yes - it is much better than brooding over what happened."

Kaito gave him the address of a place that was said to have an extensive breakfast buffet and Shinichi went to wake Heiji.

ooOO-OOoo

Heiji looked at the house in front of him, then back at Shinichi.

"Are ya sure ya got tha right address?"

His disbelief was understandable, Shinichi himself wasn't that sure either, considering that the house seemed rather plain and stood beside other ones that were built in the same style. A typical residential district in the outskirts of Osaka.

This was the address Kaito had given him but it was KID they were speaking of so…

He dialed up his sight a notch, zoomed in on the nameplate next to the door and relaxed.

"It's okay - not what I expected but I'm sure he feels better on his home turf."

Heiji raised a brow at him and followed his gaze, understanding once he also read the name 'Kuroba' written in bold kanji.

They went up to the white front door that was sheltered by a small roofing, and rang the bell.

"Coming," sounded it from inside and the boys traded a surprised glance. That wasn't Kuroba's voice.

Before they could even utter one thought about it, the door was opened and before them stood Nakamori Aoko with a beaming smile.

"Good morning, nice to see you again. Kaito should be down any moment, he is just being lazy as usual - come in, come in," she greeted them cheerily and waved them inside the entrance, where they exchanged their street shoes for slippers that apparently had been laid out for them.

A delicious smell wafted through the air and Shinichi suppressed a grin when he saw how Heiji lifted his nose and almost followed the smell to wherever it came from. He nudged his side to remind him of his manners.

"Nakamori-san, how are you," Shinichi answered her greeting with a small bow that Heiji quickly mirrored.

"You mean aside from having to deal with my lunatic boyfriend, who decided that it is appropriate to invite guests for breakfast and only tell me about it an hour in advance," she huffed, but one could tell that she was halfway amused by it, most likely used to Kaito's antics.

Nonetheless, Shinichi blushed a bit at the thought of having caused some inconvenience for her. He didn't like to be a burden - it was enough that Ran as his Guide had to suffer for his sake. "We are sorry for the intrusion, I didn't expect to be invited to his house when Kuroba spoke of a place to meet for breakfast."

Aoko raised her hands and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, it was nothing. If at all, it is Kaito who I will have a talk with later. The house is more of a vacation home, so please excuse the mess here and there - I didn't have the time to tidy everything and we planned to stay for only one night."

Energetic steps could be heard from the stairs and a moment later, Kaito came to a stop next to Aoko, slinging an arm around her shoulder and grinning widely. "What do you want to talk to me about, my love?"

The brunette girl just snorted and shoved his arm off of her, turned to give him a quick kiss and patted his cheek. "You will make this up to me, dear - you betcha."

Her voice may have sounded sweet but Kaito suddenly seemed a bit nervous but covered it up with chivalry, bending over in a deep showman's bow. "Of course, of course - well, you know we can't have this kind of talk in a public place and your cooking is simply to die for, so this was the best option."

"Flatterer," she huffed smiling and turned to leave. "When Kaito drives you nuts, just call out - I won't be far." The last part of the sentence seemed to be more directed at Kaito, as a reassurance that she would be there if he needed her, and he gave a thankful nod. After all, the topic they were about to discuss was likely to reopen old sores.

Kaito looked after her as she went into the living room. "She is great," he boasted affectionately, then motioned them to follow him into the kitchen where they found so much food prepared for them that it was rightly called a buffet. How Aoko had managed all that in about an hour was a miracle but they decided just to be grateful and watched how Kaito poured them some coffee. He himself had again preferred tea, and they all helped themselves to full plates, laden with rice, tamagoyaki, little octopus sausages and fish that Kaito opted to leave out for some reason.

"Well, who would have thought that you'll discover the secret identity of Kaitou KID in such an anticlimactic way, huh?" Kaito opened the conversation. "I always imagined that when it came to that at all, it would be more dramatic, and of course during a heist."

Shinichi's eyes followed the movements of Kaito's chopsticks, the other waved around to emphasize his words. "I think it was dramatic enough as it was and I'm sure the poor stabbed woman thinks so as well."

Kaito sobered immediately. "Sure, you're right, my bad, but you know where I'm coming from right? I mean, what where the chances? To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed but it can't be helped. More important - did you hear anything from Toyama-san?"

Feeling how Heiji tensed up beside him, Shinichi answered. "No, sadly not, but the police are on it. They actually found a girl on the security tapes that looked like her, but it was only from behind and her hair was down instead of in a ponytail. There was a man in a police uniform next to her, holding onto her arm and steadying her, though she walked on her own. He wore a cap, so it wasn't possible to identify him."

Sadly, it wouldn't be the first time someone infiltrated the task force as Kaito himself had used that trick himself often enough. It explained how the culprit had managed to get in and out of a building that was closed off to public.

"So most likely some kind of drug," Kaito hummed, noticing how the Osakan's hands clenched into fists on the table, almost snapping his chopsticks. He very, very carefully extended his mind to check how he was holding up mentally without notifying him of his presence. So far he seemed to be good but it was time to give the conversation another direction.

He cleared his throat and fished a case binder from the countertop, shoving it across the table for the detectives to examine.

Shinichi opened the folder and the first thing was a cut-out from an old newspaper, reporting the shocking death of a magician, caused by faulty equipment during one of his shows. It was dated ten years ago.

He had been only eight at that time, but Shinichi faintly remembered his father blanching while talking at the phone one night. It had left an impression because his father had never shown anything like fear or panic around him before. After that, his parents talked in hushed voices to each other and ushered him to bed before his usual time. He had heard his mother cry downstairs and it had frightened him.

The next morning, they had explained that a good friend of them had died. Death was something distant for the young boy back then, though he understood the concept and why they were mourning. His father had been absent the next days, trying to find out what really had happened because he was convinced that it hadn't been an accident. His friend never worked with equipment he hadn't checked personally, and he was very thorough. Someone must have tempered with it, but he didn't find evidence and had to let it go, if reluctantly.

A week later, they'd brought Shinichi to Ran for the day, wearing dark clothing and sad expressions.

The friend's name had been Kuroba Toichi, a magician and a tutor for his mother when she had to learn the art of disguising and slipping into the mindset of another person for her work as an actress.

Suddenly, he felt an odd connection to Kaito, realizing that their parents had been friends, but the boys never got to know each other.

Saying he was sorry felt like an empty phrase after all that time, so he stayed silent, just gave Kaito a searching look to find out if he knew about it too. Kaito's gaze was meeting his in a steady way, waiting for some sort of reaction. Shinichi bit his lips and gave him a brief nod.

A softening in Kaito's eyes let him know that he was understood.

If Kaito had known all this time, it would explain why he seemed to be protective of Shinichi and why he had tried to get him away from the roof at the Vermillion Morning heist. Not that he wouldn't have kept anyone else who happened to get up there safe, but he had gone out of his way to ensure Shinichi wouldn't make it that far in the first place.

He swallowed and lowered his eyes back to the pages before him when Heiji turned the pages.

Snippets about old KID heists and the targeted jewels, police reports signed by Nakamori Ginzo, who had been in charge of catching the thief from the beginning. Shinichi didn't really want to know how Kaito got those, but he had another question.

"Does he know?"

Kaito didn't have to ask whom he was talking about, just shook his head no. "It would compromise him, and I don't want anything falling back on him or his reputation as a Police Inspector."

"But, Aoko-san does." It was more a statement than a question this time.

"She does, and it tears her apart at times, but she understands that it is necessary. What doesn't mean that she reached that state of mind immediately, or peacefully," the thief answered with a reminiscent smile. "Would have been hard to keep it from her. After all, we are bonded."

"Ya'r a pair?" Heiji exclaimed, though that should have been as obvious to him as it was to Shinichi. His worry about Kazuha was apparently messing with his observation skills.

Even though it was just for vacations as Aoko had explained, in all the rooms they had seen so far had been evidence that she lived here as well. Small trinkets on the shelves, decorations he was sure Kaito didn't care about. Of course, they could have belonged to his mother, but everything hinted at just two people occupying the house permanently. Like the personalized house slippers they wore or the two matching cups, Shinichi had glimpsed when Kaito had taken some plain ones out of the cupboard for them. Everything just in pairs.

And teens living alone together while not being blood related most of the time meant they were a Sentinel/Guide pair, like Ran and Shinichi.

Shinichi frowned. "So… she's a Level 5s then?" Considering that there weren't much Sentinels with that Level beside himself, he knew the ones living in Tokyo at least by name. Nakamori Aoko was not been among them.

Kaito waved it off with a short snort. "Fortunately not – it's enough that she has three hyperaware senses or she would get behind all my tricks in no time."

Just a Level 3s then. "But… how?"

"Because we decided so," was the simple answer that didn't tell Shinichi anything and his face must have shown it because Kaito let out a small chuckle. "You won't let that one go until I explain, right? Okay, so you know already that I am a Rank A Guide but that I stated to the police that I am only Rank C. Now, how is it possible that I was not discovered at the center when our connection was made?" He propped up his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. "Because we weren't connected there."

Heiji's eyebrows flew up. "Ya did tha connection by yarself? That's mighty risky. Especially when ya'r not even of equal powers."

"It was a risk we were willing to take, and we had help. She did it for my sake and I am eternally grateful to her." And he also was grateful to his father, who had taught him Poker face, what came in very handy whenever he felt anxious and Aoko wasn't nearby. He had an outstanding self-control.

"Damn…", Heiji swore when it clicked. "Just imagine it came out that KID is a Rank A – all it would take to considerably narrow down tha potential suspects would be a look in tha MindCenter's data. Passin' yar civil identity off as a Rank C takes ya off that list."

"Exactly."

Shinichi eyed Kaito musingly. So that was the reason why his guiding had been so rough. Not only weren't they in tune with each other, he wasn't used to handle five senses at the same time. He simply lacked the practice.

Were it the other way around, and Aoko a higher level than him, it wouldn't be possible at all; he would break his mind trying to guide her. As it was, Kaito just didn't exploit his full potential, what was a shame but understandable regarding his special circumstances.

Turning to the next page in the folder, Shinichi stopped. It was a police report from about one year ago, shortly after KID had become active again after a long absence – what made sense now that Shinichi was sure that Toichi had been the first KID and Kaito had taken over for him.

The officer stated that a group of suspicious men had been sighted at the heist, but they hadn't been able to apprehend them, because they were gone too quick. Below was a newsletter front-splash, concerning the raid of a gangster hide-out directly after the heist.

"Okay, let me see if I got everythin' right," Heiji sighed and began to recap the facts.

"Ya'r old man was tha original KID and was murdered by this syndicate that is after tha jewel. When KID returned after some time, it was ya under tha hat and monocle, facin' tha same group again, and ya think they are the ones targetin' Guides, because tha disappearances happened in close vicinity ta tha heists ya held, and because ya believe that they need them for tha Sentinels they try ta create with Pandora." He inhaled deeply and let the air out again in a rush. "That's some insane stuff."

"It really sounds crazy when you put it that way," Kaito laughed. Shinichi wanted to add something but was interrupted by his phone.

He waved at the others apologetic and went to the entrance not to disturb their conversation.

Before he could even get out a greeting, the caller all but yelled at him in despair.

"Is Ran with you?" shouted Kogoro's frantic voice into his ear, so he had to pull the phone away from it not to go deaf.

"No, she's not. Why? What happened?" Stay calm. Facts first. Don't panic.

"I waited for her - but she didn't show up. She's not answering her phone. Called the center and they confirmed that she has been there yesterday but that she went home after a session with Toda-san."

"There actually was a session?"

"Not that I know of, I made that up. Anyway - if she is not here and not with you, where is she? I even called Eri to see if she went to sleep there instead but no luck."

Shinichi's stomach turned with worry. It wasn't like Ran to drop off the map like that. She was the one who always made sure to leave a note or a text message before leaving, to call when she would get home later than planned. She was the responsible one. Always.

"Call the police," he finally brought out around the lump constricting his throat. "Let Megure-keiji know that I'm already on it and to keep me updated."

Shinichi didn't remember that he had ended the call and had gone back to the kitchen were Heiji and Kaito were still speaking, falling silent when they saw his ashen face.

"Hey, Kudou – what happened? Who was that on tha phone?"

He should be frantic, jumping into action, but Shinichi just felt numb.

"Ran is missing."

Kaito was on his feet and at Shinichi's side before Heiji even stood from his chair. "Come over here, sit down, breathe," he ordered and steered the unresponsive teen to a chair to make him sit down. He really didn't want a raging Sentinel in his kitchen and that was what most likely would happen if they didn't get this under control right away.

With utmost care, he let his mind wander to Shinichi's and tentatively felt around the now already familiar fringes of his awareness, trying not to intrude. With relief, he noticed that there weren't any signs of an immediate zone out or fugue, so he should be fine for now, though it was a bit worrying that there was no response at all. He supposed that the shock was dulling his emotions for now.

Wearing a concerned face, Aoko rushed into the kitchen. She had picked up at Kaito's alerted mind and came to see what was going on - if he needed her. One look at Shinichi, pale and silent on the chair with Kaito leaning over him, and she caught on.

She saw that Kaito was still emerged in his connection to Shinichi, so she turned to Heiji.

"What's up with him? Can I do something to help?"

"Afraid not," Heiji shook his head. "I'm sure Kuroba told ya about what's happenin' with tha Guides?" She nodded in affirmation. She had been worried sick about him when he told her about his suspicions last night, well – even more worried than she was anyway when he went out at night, chasing after some mystic jewel.

"Ran-chan, - Kudou's Guide, is missin' and we can't rule out that she's been taken by tha same people that kidnapped Kazuha."

ooOO-OOoo

Somehow, Heiji had led him back to his home and now they were up in the guest room. Shinichi was sitting on the bed, vaguely aware of someone pressing a glass of water in his hand, only to take it back when it almost slipped through his lax fingers and put it on the nightstand instead.

"Kudou," he felt Heiji shake him to get a reaction out of him. "Talk ta me. I know this feelin'. I have it every second of tha day, but ya have ta get yar act together."

With some difficulty, Shinichi found his friend's concerned gaze and let his head sink against his hands. "I send her away to keep her safe and she disappears. How? She was afraid that something could happen to me while she was away and now it's her." He covered his face with his hands and groaned. "I should have kept her close to me, have an eye on her all the time. I failed - as her boyfriend and as her partner."

Heiji bit his lip and hoped there would be a reasonable answer for Ran's disappearance. Some other than being kidnapped. Maybe Ran was just crashing on some friend's couch and forgot to tell her father. Or to call Shinichi. Maybe the battery of her phone died.

Right…

Denial wasn't a solution.

Ran was gone and he could see how his friend fell apart.

He knew the feeling very well and had a hard time himself reigning in all those negative emotions. No matter what platitudes he would tell Shinichi now, they wouldn't help, so he just squeezed his shoulder.

"I'll go and get tickets for tha next bullet train," was all he said and then went to his room to check the train schedule.

Shinichi was startled out of his trance when the door closed behind Heiji. After some hesitation, he got up and opened his backpack, pulling out the package he had picked up at the MindCenter last night.

With it, he sat back on the bed and looked at the bag on his lap, the brown paper crinkling between his fingers.

He felt thin. Vulnerable and uncertain.

The stakes were high and he had no idea how Heiji did it but he wasn't sure if he could keep himself in check under the pressure. Opening the bag, he pulled out the different meds he had ordered from Shiho. The one labeled 'Senes-5' lay heavy in his hand.

With a silent apology to Heiji, he opened it, popped out a pill and placed it on the back of his tongue - downing it with a mouthful of water from the glass on the nightstand.

* * *

 **A/N:** Congrats, Kuroba, you are now the proud owner of a vacation home in Oksaka. You're welcome. XD


	9. What? Who? Where?

**Chapter nine**  
Why? Who? Where?  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

Whatever one might think about Mouri Kogoro, when it came to his daughter, he could turn into a force of nature. Ran would get embarrassed with his flirty and carefree behavior at times, but he had always been there for her when it counted. He and Shinichi weren't always of the same opinion, but right now they had the same goal.

Bringing back Ran and giving those bastards who took her and Kazuha hell!

Heiji and Shinichi had arrived in Tokyo with the next train, stopping by Mouri's agency before they went to talk with Megure, who had taken on the lead for the case even though he technically wasn't the one in charge for kidnappings as a homicide inspector. But Ran was like family for him and he took it as his personal task to find her.

Even before Ran had become Shinichi's Guide, she had tagged along to cases her friend got involved in. And Shinichi had come across a lot of crime scenes in his young life. Beginning with accompanying his father, who had a knack for difficult riddles and had helped out at times when the police got stumped, and then stumbling over dead bodies along his way as if he was cursed.

Some officers in the division actually called him a shinigami when they thought Megure wasn't listening. When the Inspector had gotten wind of this nickname, he had yelled at the poor officer who had joked about it and really, no one wanted to be the cause of Megure's anger. No matter how friendly and calm the burly man usually was, he had quite the temper when someone pushed his buttons.

He just hadn't wanted for young Shinichi to believe in such talk and maybe even end up thinking that the death around him was his fault by any means.

So, right now Heiji, Shinichi and Mouri stood in Megure's office in front of his desk that was filled with an impressive amount of papers and folders. A long gone cold cup of coffee sat at the edge, threatening to fall over if someone shifted the mountain for paper the wrong way and a potted plant in the corner of the room looked like it was in desperate need of some water.

Megure didn't seem to care as he brought them up to speed with what the investigation had brought so far - what sadly wasn't much.

"Satou and Takagi just came back from questioning Toda-san at the MindCenter and checking his statement. He was the last one who saw Ran-kun last night and told them that she was indeed there for a connection that wasn't even scheduled, claiming that someone had called her father to tell her to come as soon as possible."

Shinichi flinched at that. If only he hadn't come up with this dumb plan. Okay, the MindCenter had been Mouri's idea, but still.

Megure raised a brow at his reaction. "Is there something I should know about, Kudou-kun? Because strangely, the woman that had worked at the front desk during the time in question is sure that she never called the agency that day."

Now, Shinichi squirmed under his intent look. He felt how Heiji took a step closer to him, offering silent support because he knew how guilty his friend felt. Even Mouri gave him a concerned glance. After the boys had arrived at the agency, Mouri had let out a good amount of his frustration on the teen, who only stood there, accepting it all with slumped shoulders and defeated expression. Not once had Mouri seen Shinichi like that and eventually he had realized that he wasn't the only one hurting and that Shinichi had acted on good intentions. Too bad that good intentions often led to disaster.

Mouri cleared his throat. "I was the one who told Ran to go to the center. There never was a connection planned from the beginning."

The Inspector turned to him, surprised. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I asked him to," Shinichi answered in his stead, his voice low. "I wanted to prevent exactly this, but instead of protecting her, I sent Ran directly into their arms." His whole body shivered from the self loath-loathing that was running through him from head to toe.

"Their arms? Whose arms? Would anyone please tell me what is going on here?" Megure demanded confused.

"Inspector," Heiji took over, seeing that Shinichi couldn't go on at the moment. "At tha last KID heist, we came across a group that seems ta kidnap Guides for… an unknown reason. They took Kazuha, my own Guide, that night. People from different cities have gone missing, the only connection between them is that they all had visited a heist before they vanished and that they all were Guides." He allowed himself a steadying breath. Just mentioning Kazuha almost sent him back reeling, and it wouldn't do if he lost his already peculiar composure - he wouldn't be able to get it back.

"Kudou just wanted Ran-chan away from tha scene in case someone was after her as well. That it would backfire that badly..."

"Why is this the first time I've heard about this? Is the police in Osaka already working on it?"

Heiji shook his head. "They are searchin' for Kazuha and we pointed out tha other missin' Guides but they don't know that we have an idea about who tha group behind all this is."

"For the sake of…" Megure let out exasperated. Teenage detectives helping on cases were all well and fine, and he was the first to acknowledge their skills, but why did they always have to keep things to themselves? "Why?"

"Our source of information can't exactly come forth to give a statement." Shinichi had collected himself enough to take part in the conversation again. "And without proof, all of this is just a hunch of ours."

Scratching his head under his ever-present hat, Megure gave that some thought. Someone who they most likely had met on the KID heist, who couldn't give his statement to the police. Right. He didn't need much imagination to figure out that one. And it was true - the police wouldn't believe the word of a wanted criminal just like that. "So, will you tell me at least everything you know? After all you've already come so far."

The boys looked at each other, communicating without needing any words. A perk of working together ever so often and thinking alike.

"I'm afraid that is not possible without giving away our source and we can't do that without his consent or an established agreement that nothing he says can be used against him in a court of law." Shinichi said with a helpless shrug. "Nothing against you or your influence inside the police, but I doubt that you can give the okay for something like that or that your higher-ups will be pleased with the idea."

Megure rubbed his chin. "Though it wouldn't be the first time the police worked together with someone wanted, to get to an even greater criminal."

Mouri had stood at the side, listening to them with growing anxiety, but now he couldn't bear any longer to watch them dance around each other. "Just get over it and give the stupid thief immunity already! We are wasting time here. Time my daughter doesn't have!"

They all gaped at him.

"What? Did you think I wouldn't figure out that you are talking about Kaitou KID? You're not as subtle as you might think," he grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest. So maybe he wasn't dubbed ‚Heisei Holmes' or anything that fancy, but he wasn't dumb.

"I will talk about it with my superiors, but I'm sure we can work something out," Megure said, eyes still on Mouri. "Anyway, as I said, was Toda-san the last person who saw Ran-kun. He stated that she stayed a while to help him with an experiment and that he then sent her off to the train station. He even brought her there because it was late and he didn't want her to go alone. The receptionist confirmed this. She saw them both leave and Toda-san returned about fifteen minutes later. That matches the time one would need to go to the station and back to the center."

So, that meant Ran had been on her way back to the agency. Everything didn't fit their theory about the victims being taken at heists, but Shinichi still was sure that she had been taken by the same group. It was just too much of a coincidence.

He cringed. Thinking of Ran as a victim made him nauseous. He was glad he had taken the pill, because his senses were blissfully dulled. It felt a bit like being under water after the long time he had been accustomed to the world around him being sharp, loud and vivid. In contrast, now everything sounded muted, he had to concentrate to catch everything the others said, and the tips of his fingers almost felt numb. It was strange and not something he wanted as a lasting effect, but with his emotions unstable, it was welcome.

He just hoped Heiji wouldn't realize what he had done before they had found the girls and the others, because he was sure that the Osakan wouldn't hesitate to throw away all his drugs and have him hospitalized for a supervised withdrawal immediately.

And Shinichi wouldn't even hold it against him.

As Heiji had said, they both had witnessed what could happen after consuming Senes-5 and the pictures were burned into his mind.

Wide open, staring eyes that saw nothing at all, or maybe they saw too much all at once. It was hard to say, because the victims weren't responsive and never regained full consciousness ever again, their mind constantly hyperactive - without any breaks. They depended on care for the rest of their life and maybe it was a mercy that they all died after only a few years, their brains shutting down with the overload.

It didn't happen every time and the researchers weren't sure why some Sentinels were able to take the drug almost permanently if their health demanded it, while other were affected after only taking it once or twice.

He only prayed that he belonged to the former group and that he would get away without lasting damage, though his experience with the lower dosages Senes didn't bode well for him. Ran wouldn't be pleased to learn what he had done, but he didn't care. If she was back and could shout at him, he would endure all of it gratefully.

"Inspector, has there been anything else?" he dragged himself away from his uneasy thoughts. "If not, I would like to go to the MindCenter myself now. No offense, but maybe Hattori and I are able to find something the officers missed. And… I can't sit here, waiting all day to be honest."

Megure understood. He had seen it every time one of his investigators had been involved personally in a case and normally that was the reason he had to ask them to step down, but Kudou was not one of his officers and he couldn't order him around like that. Also, he'd worked with the boy long enough by now to know that he wouldn't stop anyway, so it was best to work with him where he could have an eye on him than having him run around on his own.

"Very well, just make sure to report back, when you stumble over something interesting."

"Of course, Inspector."

"Kudou-kun - I mean it! No solo adventures!"

"Right… sure."

ooOO-OOoo

When they arrived at the MindCenter, there was still a police car outside, patrolling the street in direction of the station and questioning passersby if they had seen anything.

Shinichi ignored them. He only wanted to speak with Toda.

Heiji trailed after him on their way to Toda's office, eyeing his surroundings. He had never been at the Tokyo MindCenter before, but now he had to say that it looked quite similar to the one in Osaka.

Suddenly, he bumped into Shinichi, who had come to a stop in an open doorway. Heiji peeked around him to get a better look at the man his friend had told him so much about over the last years.

But the office was empty.

"If you are searching for Toda-san, he is absent since the police left after questioning him this morning."

Shinichi turned to the familiar voice and saw Shiho standing a few meters down the corridor. In her hand she held a clip board and she must have come out of her examinations room/laboratory whatever one wanted to call that office.

"Miyano," Shinichi rushed over to her. "You've heard?"

"Are you kidding me? The whole center is in uproar because their precious Rank A Guide has gone missing."

He looked to the side, biting the insides of his cheeks and then noticed Heiji standing behind him. "Oh, I'm sorry, this is Hattori Heiji, my friend from Osaka. Hattori, this is Miyano Shiho, the woman who likes to torment me in the name of research."

Shiho gave him a thin grin. "Good to see that at least your dry humor is still intact. Nice to meet you, Hattori-kun, Kudou-kun told me a lot about you - only good stuff of course."

"Likewise," was all Heiji offered as an answer. He remembered enough about her from his conversations with Shinichi to know that she had a sharp tongue and better not to mess with her.

She tilted her head and gave Shinichi a scrutinizing look. "Come into my office, and then you will tell my why you are looking as if you've shoved Ran-san into the kidnappers clutches yourself, though I already have a pretty good guess."

Wordlessly, Shinichi and Heiji stepped through the door she held open for them and sat down on the couch - Shinichi with his head in his hands, Heiji tapping his foot restlessly. He could understand that Shinichi was devastated, but Kazuha was missing even longer and they still had no clue where to find them.

"Alright - what I see here are not two successful detectives but two teenager who hit rock bottom and are totally unable to cope with the situation. Is this how you plan to rescue your girls? By moping and feeling guilty?"

"Oi, Miyano, don't you think we know that already? There just is no lead!" Shinichi had sprung up at her accusation and ran a hand through his hair, tearing at it. "And yes - of course I feel guilty! If not for me, Ran would have stayed in Osaka and would be here with us right now and not with some dangerous Syndicate who will do who knows what to her!"

"You do have a lead then," she said and leaned back in her chair. "Tell me about it. And please stop it with the ‚it's-all-my-fault' slogan. We all know you did it to protect her and no one is blaming you. Same goes for you Osaka-boy. No one could have known that Toyama-san was at risk in the middle of a whole task force. If we were to play the guilt-game, I would be to blame too, because I saw Ran-San when she was here that night before she went to Toda-san. Maybe I could have prevented it, but I didn't, because I thought she would be alright. Just like you. So, what've you got?"

Shinichi stared at her, dumbfounded by her nonchalant manner and anger boiled up inside him, before he realized what she was doing and he lowered his head, shaking it fondly and holding up a hand at Heiji, who had been riled up by her little speech as well.

"Way to get us out of the gutter, Miyano. Alright. We know that Kazuha left the heist with some unknown man who disguised as a poultice officer without notifying Hattori beforehand. They must have had some kind of pretense to lure her away from the rest. We were thinking maybe a feigned emergency. The video footage shows that she was leaving on her own two feet, if a bit shaky and not immediately recognizable because her hairstyle had been changed. Maybe drugs were involved."

Shiho nodded. Drugs were very likely needed to keep her obedient after the initial attack. There was a number of potential agents that could have been used.

Heiji straightened up. "I investigated tha disappearance of some Guides over tha last few months and they all happened durin' or shortly after a KID heist. Tha victims were all part of tha crowd outside tha heist scene though, never behind tha police barrier. Some reported they got separated due ta tha mass of people and couldn't find their friend afterwards, and some never got home after tha heist had ended."

"We also have the information that a third party is after KID and is searching for a special jewel that is rumored to give you the abilities of a Sentinel," Shinichi added.

"Say what?" Shiho's head flew up, searching in Shinichi's face for a hint that he was joking, but he just stared back grimly. Her mind raced and she forced herself to think about it clinically. If something like that were possible what would be needed?

First of all the jewel of course. How a highly compressed mass of minerals should be helpful she had no clue, but for now she just ran with the idea.

Next a Guide to lead the newbie, because while not every new Sentinel came online violently or needed guiding immediately, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Also a person who was willing to undergo the experiment, whereas 'willing' might be a broadly defined term when criminals were involved. Maybe they didn't just take Guides but candidates for Sentinels as well?

And lastly, one would need equipment and a suitable environment for the experiments. Preferably a medical facility were you could treat mind injuries. Beika General had a whole wing for this purpose for example and the MindCenter itself had a medical section for first aid and smaller incidents.

Where could one find something like this without drawing suspicion?

"A private institute maybe," she mumbled more to herself than to the boys but then remembered that she had two of Japan's most capable young detectives right in front of her. Might as well make use of their capabilities. "Brainstorm time! Locations were you could perform medical mind experiments with participants who can't be recognized by authorities or you will be busted. Go!"

Shinichi and Heiji exchanged a baffled look but their brains had already begun to sort through the possibilities.

"Ya said private institute? Aren't they all listed and have ta disclose their researches regularly ta prevent exactly that?"

"Right, next."

"What about hiding in plain sight?" Shinichi mused. "Using some kind of cover story and working in a big hospital could work but only if the experiments don't need too much time and they can disappear quickly."

"Don't think so, too risky," Heiji shook his head.

Nothing private, nothing official then maybe…

"Something abandoned!" both detectives exclaimed.

Shiho gave it some thought and agreed. "As long as the place isn't too run down and still has electricity, I would say that is the best option."

"KID's heists are normally located somewhere in Tokyo. The one in Osaka was a rare exception, a few have been in towns nearby." And now Shinichi also knew why. With the current KID being still in high-school, it wasn't like he could travel freely. "Let's start with probable places here in the city."

With a mouse click, Shiho woke her laptop from the standby modus and opened a map of Tokyo, while the boys rounded her desk to have a look at the monitor as well.

First, she marked all the official hospitals and smaller clinics to rule them out. Then they searched the net for any hospitals that had been closed during the last years or research facilities that had gone bankrupt. The result was over a hundred hits. They had to somehow narrow it down.


	10. Process

**Chapter ten**  
Process  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

Two days had passed without any noteworthy process.

Two days.

Shinichi and Heiji buried themselves under their workload to get at least some distraction, but the search for the right place was slow and consumed all their patience and by the end of day two it also began to nag at their confidence.

Dread was beginning to overwhelm them and made it hard to concentrate or think at all. And then there was the possibility that their theory was wrong all together but they blocked that one out for now or they wouldn't be able to function any more.

Shinichi was back at Shiho's office that had become their place to meet and discuss ideas before they would present them Megure and his team. He also used it as a hideaway whenever he needed a break from the pitying glances.

He sighed in his coffee. He had accompanied Satou and Takagi on five investigations today - all without results. Just five more places they could cross out on the list. Who knew what was happening to the victims in the meantime? To Ran and Kazuha? Would they be too late in the end? Would he fail her again?

His head sunk against the table, arms crossing over it in an attempt to hide from reality.

The small package with pills in the pocket of his jeans felt like a lead-weight, and he knew he had to take another one in the morning. It would be the sixth. To get through the nights, he took a strong tranquilizer that made his sleep heavy and dreamless.

After all, who was asleep couldn't zone out and he wanted to keep the number of pills he had to take as low as possible, so he maybe would have a chance of getting away with it unscathed.

Though if they didn't find something soon, he sure would be busted before the week was over. Heiji was already giving him funny looks as if he expected him to explode any second or something and he was positive that Miyano knew already; probably had known from the start.

She was subtle with it, but he had felt her searching mind tapping against his own and that had been an awkward sensation, because while he could faintly sense her presence, he had no means to interact in any way, as if a translucent wall separated them. He wondered if that was what it felt for Neutrals when a Guide's mind brushed theirs or if they weren't aware of it at all. Or maybe it even was because his mind slowly but surely began to break through the drug's effect.

Whatever the case, it was safe to say that she had noticed his lack of response and now was checking from time to time to see if he was taking the drug constantly or not. And probably to get a little heads up should his senses go haywire.

She never said anything about it and he didn't need her to. She had made clear what she thought about it and if he decided to take the drug anyway, she would just accept it. His life, his risk, but he knew she would be there if push came to shove.

It was nice to know that there was someone looking out for him in that regard, and if she weren't needed at the center, she would have helped him out as a Guide. But with Ran gone and not really another Rank A Guide available on short notice, Shiho had to take care of the connections for Level 4s and if needed 5s, as the Rank B Guide was still not back from his vacation.

Shinichi wondered if he had been one of the victims as well, but he hadn't been reported as missing. Then again, the guy lived alone and wasn't known to be very social, so maybe there just wasn't anyone who had noticed his disappearance. A sad thought but unfortunately not that uncommon.

But it didn't help him with finding the girls, and the longer the search dragged on, the lower the chances to find them unharmed.

Or find them at all.

He quickly banned that thought, refusing to give up just now. They could do this! They had to!

He wasn't alone in this. Heiji was frantic as well, getting by with taking Senes-1 or 2 and keeping close to a Guide on the police force. It wasn't ideal either, but Shinichi envied him. If it was helpful or not right now was questionable, but Heiji still had access to at least two of his senses, sometimes even three.

Speaking about the police force. Shinichi was sure that he had discovered Kaito among them during a meeting, disguised as a young officer, Hiragawa Takara, who had just recently joined. Shinichi hadn't interacted enough with the man to detect any unusual behavior, and it would have been a perfect illusion if Kaito had not winked at him when he had walked passed him while leaving the room after the meeting had ended.

Kaito had wanted to let him know that he was searching as well and was keeping tabs on the results of the raids. Because even though Megure had assured them that no one would arrest the thief for now, Kaito had preferred to stay undercover. Shinichi was grateful to know that he was working with them. His skill set was one of a kind and nothing to sniff at and being a criminal himself might open him sources the police couldn't reach out to.

The door behind him opened and Shiho walked in, shoving something wrapped in cellophane into his hands.

"Eat. I know you don't feel hungry, but it won't do to neglect the needs of your body."

She sat down on the other side of the desk and placed a second package in front of herself.

He stared down at the foil that held a sandwich that most likely stemmed from the vending machine in the MindCenter's entrance hall and slowly unwrapped it.

Without feeling any appetite but knowing that Shiho would force him to eat anyway, he bit into it and chewed without tasting anything. At least it felt that way with his taste buds almost completely shut down.

After a few seconds filled with just the two of them eating in silence, Shinichi put his food down again.

"How did you do it?"

Shiho stooped to eat as well and tilted her head, inquisitive. "What do you mean?"

"Your sister, Akemi. How did you cope with it?"

The woman sighed deeply and rested her chin on her free hand. "Akemi was- she and Ran-san are very alike. Kind, gentle, and feeling like home – very different from me. She was the only family I had after our parents died in an accident when I was five. I don't really remember much of them, but I remember how Akemi did everything she could to fill our life with joy and laughter. She never wanted me to be sad," Shiho smiled in reminiscence. "She also was my Sentinel."

Shinichi let out a small "Oh," surprised at that fact. It explained why Shiho as a Rank A Guide wasn't bonded to someone. It was courtesy not to ask a Guide whose Sentinel had passed away to bond with a new one if they didn't offer it on their own accord. It also must be the reason why she only chose a few to guide at all and didn't usually participate in the new connections.

Shiho had always been very discreet about her life and anything personal, and back then they hadn't known each other very well, so Shinichi hadn't pressed the matter and over time it had become so normal that she wasn't paired up, that he didn't even think about it nowadays.

That she was so open about it now, spoke volumes about their friendship that had developed and deepened over the years.

"To be honest, I don't really know how I did it. The days went by and over time the pain lessened somewhat, but it never left me. I fought to not forget her face, her scent, the tone of her voice, but they faded nonetheless. Not that they are gone completely, but they are more of an echo than the real thing. At some point, maybe half a year after her death, I made the choice to live the life she had wished for me. I slowly began to sort through her things and decided what to keep and what to give away. It was a really slow process and sometimes I thought that it hurt more than it helped, but I pulled through. I realized that I didn't need her clothes or favorite brand of shampoo to remember her."

She chuckled lightly. "It's kind of nice to talk about it actually - who would have thought - but…" She took his hand and he almost flinched at the rare display of affection. "Kudou-kun, you don't have to worry about all this stuff right now. Ran-san is still out there, and she is waiting for you to come and get her."

They held eye-contact for an intense moment and then she gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go.

"You should stop hiding in my office to mope around, really. Oh, by the way – you have to get going now if you don't want to be late"

"Late? Late for what?"

She held up a small white card with something written on it. Shinichi couldn't make out the words from this distance thanks to the Senes-5, but the little caricature in the corner made it clear who the sender was.

"For your meeting with Kaitou KID."

ooOO-OOoo

Shinichi sprinted down the street to the meeting point, Kaito had given him on the note. Of course it had been in riddles, and of course he hadn't been able to get Heiji on the phone because he was with Megure at yet another old, rundown hospital.

Cutting a corner, he now could see the park in front of him. There weren't many people to take a stroll that late, but many used the park as a shortcut to get home from work, so two more people talking while walking wouldn't be strange, and the area was wide enough that they could avoid being overheard.

After passing the gates, he slowed down and headed to the near fountain, were he could see a teen sitting on the rim of the water basin, waving at him. As Shinichi had never seen this face before, he could only guess that it was the thief, who was hidden behind the facade of a boy his own age with features that weren't standing out much, but also weren't too plain. Very short brown hair, brown eyes, slender built, no glasses and a wide smile, paired with sportive everyday clothes.

Shinichi sometimes wondered if Kaito catalogued all the identities he used and if he sometimes came up with new characters just for fun. He was just thankful that he had opted for a male disguise, because Kaito could pull off a woman just as well, but Shinichi would have felt weird talking to him like that, so this was much better.

"Hey, Kudou-kun, glad to see your little scientist delivered the note in time."

"Barely," he panted, catching his breath. "Anything new?"

"You could say that," Kaito answered, gesturing at him to walk for a bit. "After you came up with the idea that they would need some sort of medical support and in which possible areas, I subtly used my contacts to get information about anything related to that. Learned more than I ever wanted to know about the underground drug-scene in Tokyo," he shuddered. "You might want to let your Megure-keibu have a look into that once we've got the bad boys responsible for this mess."

"I'll make sure to let him know," Shinichi answered tersely and feeling just a little bit guilty for not caring the least about some drug-addicts right now. "What did you find?"

"Someone was hiring people who didn't care much about their working environment and who had no problem looking the other way if need be. Quick money, no questions. Also, I had to call in a lot of favors to get this..." He pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his jacket and handed it to Shinichi whose eyes skimmed over the lines of what seemed to be a list of purchases from different people at different places.

Syringes, disinfectants and bed sheets as well as more hard to get medical equipment like heart-rate monitors or such.

"Do I want to know what kind of contacts those are?"

Kaito laughed. "I don't think so, but the stuff I need for my smoke bombs and sleeping gas aren't exactly over the counter substances so…" he shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah, alright - what makes you think this is connected to the case? Anyone could have use for these and the purchaser are varying."

They passed a bench with a couple sitting on it that obviously had forgotten about the world around them and were engrossed in kissing each other senseless. Shinichi turned away, partly out of politeness and partly because it hurt to see a couple when he knew that Ran was in danger and might be suffering right now.

Kaito fished out another list after they had left the bench behind them. "True, but I got this list not because of the person buying it, but because of the delivery address. I asked my contacts to send me everything they got and it might still be incomplete, but with the data they sent me, I was able to play with different filters and after some effort, I stumbled over an address that came up frequently over the last half year. At first I was a bit puzzled about the different names for every purchase, but a bit of digging showed that all of them have been paid from the same account overseas. A distraction of course, and I'm sure the holder's name for that account will be a fake as well."

Shinichi had stopped and now stared at Kaito. "We have an address? We know where they are? Where is it?" From the excitement, adrenaline rushed through him, making him giddy. He could finally _do_ something.

"Well, not the exact address as this is an empty apartment. I've checked that already and there is nothing, but there are three of the possible locations you've had on your list in close proximity. I think it's worth a shot to look there next."

Shinichi's thoughts were already a mile away. "We will strike as soon as possible. Tonight! We can't leave them there any longer! I have to call Megure-keibu. And Hattori."

Kaito watched how the detective punched the screen of his phone with more force than necessary to speed-dial the Inspector. If their cases really were connected and the Syndicate was the one taking the Guides, maybe his own search would come to an end tonight.

He briefly closed his eyes.

 _'Tou-san, maybe it's over soon.'_

ooOO-OOoo

Ran opened her eyes very carefully. She felt strange, somehow disconnected from her own body, and her eyesight needed a moment to regain its focus.

Around her, everything was held in a monotone white with a single blue stripe crossing along the walls horizontally. She realized that she was lying in a bed with only thin sheets covering her body, what explained why she was shivering slightly.

She shifted a bit to get a better overview of the room. Nothing was familiar and fear began to rise in her chest.

Where was she?

From the windows shone a thin ray of light through the thick curtains and she saw dust dancing through it. The air smelled stale and the heaters obviously weren't running.

Around her were three more beds located against the walls, all of them unoccupied.

She was alone.

Trying to remember how she got here, she came up with a blank. The last thing she remembered, was speaking to Toda at the MindCenter and sitting down on his couch, searching for her connection to Shinichi. After that everything was a blur.

Did something go wrong with the connection? Had she been hurt? Because the room looked like a hospital room, even though the usual background noise of rushing nurses and chatting visitors was missing.

A frightening thought pierced through her. Had she maybe hurt Shinichi as well? Was he here too?

Shakily, she put her feet on the cold linoleum floor and another shiver ran through her. She was only wearing a short-sleeved nightgown that ended shortly above her knees and her feet were bare.

Ran stood up very slowly, testing how stable her balance was, and after a few seconds she was confident enough to walk over to the door.

Hopefully someone was out there who could tell her what was going on.

With a creak, the heavy door opened, reinforcing the impression that this wasn't a normal hospital. It seemed as if it hadn't been used for quite some time, and again, she wondered why she was here.

If really something had gone wrong, she should be at the official wing for mind injuries at Beika General Hospital, and that looked nothing like this. She had been there after Shinichi and she had come online, and even though that has been some time ago, there was no way that it was looking like this now.

The corridor she walked through was empty and gave off a spooky vibe. Ran had never been fond of horror stories and this corridor looked exactly as if it came directly out of some creepy shocker movie. If now the lights began to flicker, she would run screaming.

She peeked into the room next to hers but it was empty as well.

Despite knowing better, she tried for a tentative „Hello? Is anyone here?"

No answer.

Yes - straight out of a splatter flick.

Collecting her courage, she moved on to the end of the corridor where it made a turn and she came to a halt in front of a reception counter, where actually a woman sat and uninterested flipped through the pages of some kind of cheap novel. One of those you would buy at a train station just not to be bored during the upcoming trip.

She didn't seem to notice Ran at all, so the girl shyly cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me."

The woman slowly looked up from the pages with an annoyed expression, tucking a stray strand of her red hair that was cut into a bob behind her ear.

"Oh please, not again," she groaned and her hand grabbed for a button to her left.

"Professor, one of the subjects is up, it's our newest addition, so I thought you might want to take care of it yourself… Yes, of course."

During the short conversation, Ran had taken a few steps back - this was absolutely not how a receptionist should talk about a patient.

Something was definitely wrong - very wrong, and she had to get out of here. She looked around frantically for a door or any other exit, she wasn't picky.

"That won't do, dear," the flat voice from the woman held her back. "I'm sorry, but I have to insist you wait here until the Professor arrives. It shouldn't take long, he is in the house already. Take a seat, will you?" She gestured to a line of chairs at the wall to the left of the counter.

Ran just stared at her with wide eyes. Sitting down and waiting for whoever was to come was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She wanted to know where she was, to call Shinichi or her father and go home.

Another step back and she collided with something solid and warm. She didn't want to turn around and see whom she had bumped into, she really didn't, but years of training kicked in and her body acted on its own as she swiveled around and took a fighting stance, just to gasp in surprise and relief.

"Toda-san, thank god! Please, you have to help me! This woman called for some Professor to 'take care of me' and I don't think I want to wait to find out what that means."

Toda smiled at her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Ran-san, you can trust me."

She relaxed a bit and nodded, giving the receptionist a last suspicious glance and followed Toda's lead, who never took his hand from her shoulder, the pressure grounding her somewhat. After they had turned the corner again, she got a bit more confident.

"Toda-san, what is this here? What happened at the MindCenter?"

Wordlessly, he continued to steer her in the direction she had come from and soon they stood in front of the room again, she had woken up in.

Questioning, she looked up at his unreadable face. It scared her to see him like this. He normally was all smiles and warmth, making her comfortable in his presence. Now, nothing of that was left. Just a cold, stoic gaze that refused to connect with her eyes. "Toda-san?"

The grip on her shoulder intensified.

"I'm very sorry, Ran-san. I never intended to use you for this, but I lack alternatives and time."

"What? Ouch!" Her voice was a mere whisper and ended with a small outcry when she taken by surprised by a small pinprick on her left arm. When she stared at it, stunned, she saw that Toda retracted a small needle that had pierced her skin there and had injected whatever it had contained into her bloodstream.

"Please, don't be mad at me, Ran-san, I swear it's for a greater good and I will do everything possible to spare you any harm."

Her brain tried to decode his cryptic message - she didn't understand what was happening to her. It didn't matter anyway, because soon she felt how she lost focus and felt light-headed. Then the feeling of two hands catching her and… nothing.

* * *

 **A/N:** A kind reader pointed out that some of my quotation marks were off, so I went back through the earlier chapters and fixed that. I hope I got all of them XD. Thanks, Hebiaczek :-)


	11. The Raid

**Chapter eleven**  
The Raid  
-ooOOoo-

* * *

"Ya got tha place?"

Heiji, who had arrived shortly after Shinichi at the Police Department nearly grabbed his friend by the lapels of his jacket in his excitement but settled for gripping his shoulders in the last moment.

Finally they were getting somewhere. He had lost count of all the hospitals or medical facilities they had searched by now.

What they all had in common was the thick layer of dust that whirled around them with every step and had him cough, the eerie feeling that those abandoned places tended to give off, especially when most of the old stuff was still there and that they didn't find a single soul in any of them aside from an old beggar, who used the house as a bolt-hole.

All in all it was depressing and grueling work.

But now, there finally was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Shinichi's grin was as wide as his own, and Heiji knew this grin from many crime scenes already. His fellow detective had figured it out and it felt so good to see this confident expression on his face. Not only because now all they had to do was to storm in there and get their girls back, but also because Shinichi looked like himself again and not like some empty shell.

Megure also came closer to look at the map, Shinichi had drawn up on the Inspector's computer.

After Kaito had left, and Shinichi had sat in the train to the Police Department, he had pondered over the remaining three places and at which one to look first. They were near each other, so it was possible that when the first location was a failure, the culprits would be warned and run.

They hadn't enough manpower to raid three places at the same time so he wanted to focus on only one. The right one.

The first was a small clinic and not very promising as is was about to be reopened soon and was currently under construction.

The second didn't leave much of an impression either. An old medical center with some capacities for offices. Nothing special but the address seemed kind of familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

The last one seemed to have the right size, was not in use or planned to be in use anytime soon and as a former nursing home for the elderly, it might be exactly right.

He just couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling, that he was missing something. Sometimes it helped to talk to someone if stuck and because Heiji wasn't from here, he called Shiho. She picked up after the first ring.

"Kudou-kun?"

Her voice sounded tense and with a pang of guilt, he realized that she thought the Senes-5 was making problems. Speaking of Senes - because it didn't seem likely that he would get home tonight to sleep, he should take another one to prolong the effect.

"Miyano, what comes to mind when you hear the address Narimasu Kosei Hospital in the Itabashi district?"

He could hear how she tapped a finger against her phone in thought, then some clicks and typing, what meant she was sitting at her computer. Then she apparently found what she was looking for.

"Ah! I remember now - it's no wonder you can't really place it as it was before you came online, but this hospital is a former MindCenter that has been closed down because the Tsubota Wakō Hospital nearby was able to finance a whole wing for connections and mind injuries and was much better equipped."

Shinichi let out a triumphant "Yes! That's it! Is has to be!" startling the people sitting around him but he didn't care.

"Kudou-kun, there is something else that might be of interest," Shiho interrupted his elation. "The former leader of that center is Toda Masao, and he still didn't come back."

Toda. It couldn't be - could it? Shinichi didn't want to believe that their mentor was involved, but an uneasy feeling kept nagging at him.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present situation, Shinichi showed Megure and Heiji were the former MindCenter was located.

"There. After what Miyano told me there even still should be most of the interior, because it wasn't needed elsewhere and they got more modern stuff for the current center."

Megure furrowed his brows. "Hmm… a former MindCenter would make sense and Toda's absence is suspicious. He was the last person who had seen Ran-kun, and now we can't get a hold on him." He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Satou-keiji, I want you to do a thorough background check for Toda Masao." He turned back to Heiji and Shinichi.

"Alright, we will check that location next with a bigger team. If you are right, we will need enough manpower to secure the whole building as well as paramedics and I want the fire-fighters there as well. I will send smaller teams to the other two locations as well just to be safe, but as your hunches usually turn out to be correct, we will concentrate on the MindCenter."

They were so close. Shinichi's body tingled with restlessness while they watched how Megure set everything for the raid in motion. His eyes landed on a file at the corner of the desk and the name written on it caught his attention.

'Ikeda - Violent Burglary'

"Say, Megure-keibu, was there anything new about what those thieves were searching for?"

Questioningly, Megure looked at him and Shinichi pointed to the file.

"Ah, the Ikeda case - yes, the pair gave us their statement after you and Ran-kun left that day. Apparently, they wanted a jewel the pair had owned until a few months ago. The Ikeda's told them that they'd sold it overseas, but they didn't believe them, tried to press the answer out of them."

The word 'overseas' struck a chord and Shinichi remembered where he had heard about something similar just recently. "Did that jewel have a name?"

Now Heiji had caught on too and let out a low whistle. "Ya mean those burglars are connected ta tha guys from tha heist?"

"Exactly."

Megure reached for the file and skimmed through the pages until he found the statement. "Yes - here it is. It was named 'Vermillion Morning'. They sold it because they needed some cash to renovate a lot of stuff on their house and the stone was nothing they had their hearts set on, so selling it wasn't hard on them."

Megure's phone rang. "Yes? Satou-keiji, what did you find?"

He listened to her explanations for a while, took some notes and frowned. "Thank you, we'll talk later."

After ending the call, he folded his hands on the table and watched Shinichi intently.

"Kudou-kun, I know you are somewhat emotionally attached to Toda-san as he was a mentor for you and Ran-kun since you came online, so this might be hard to hear, but most probably he is the one behind all this."

Shinichi swallowed but wasn't surprised. He had braced himself for this since he had learned that Toda was missing and had been the leader of the abandoned MindCenter. It was just too much of a coincidence.

With a sigh at the teens stern expression, Megure continued. "Toda-san was in charge for the MindCenter back then and he fought hard to keep it from being closed down but as we know, he didn't succeed. Not only did he lose his leading position, but because of some researches he had run there, to which his superiors didn't agree, he was even demoted to work in the field for the military. Only after he obediently served a few years did he get the position as the head of the Connection Room here in Tokyo. It is not disclosed what those experiments were exactly about, but there have been several Guides who had to be treated because of Guide-shock. It wasn't proven that Toda-san was directly responsible and they all had participated on their own free will, so there were no charges."

Even if that was true, it made Shinichi wonder how the man had been able to get a position where he was in charge of Guides again, but there were many things about power and politics he couldn't comprehend. Maybe giving him that job had some advantages for some higher up, maybe he had some dirt on them, maybe he had simply managed to fool them - he didn't know and right now he didn't even care.

This man had harmed Guides once before and now that he couldn't pursue his research in the open and look for participants, he had restored to kidnap them instead.

The time Toda began his work in Tokyo matched up with the first sightings of KID over ten years ago.

Shinichi swallowed. If this was all true then Toda had not only experimented on Guides, he also had killed Kaito's father and was hunting KID to the day, sending snipers after him, and was engaging burglars to rob families in their homes.

His fists clenched tight enough to imprint small half-moons were his nails dug into the skin of his palms. It was hard to bring someone that ruthless in accordance with the kind man he had gotten to know over the years, but he couldn't afford to be sentimental - not when Ran's life was at stake.

-ooOOoo-

Shinichi bit his lip. The fact that they had never gotten a distress signal from any of the kidnapped Guides was worrying him. After all, it wasn't as if there was a switch one could flip off or on – it wasn't a conscious choice but an emergency reaction that was ingrained in every Guide from the beginning.

Shock, panic, fear, pain – they all set it off and all Sentinels in the vicinity were affected by it, feeling the need to protect. Protect one of the persons that guarded their sanity. For especially close bonded pairs even a bit of anxiety could be felt by the partner, like it had been the case with Aoko and Kaito when Shinichi had gotten the news about Ran's disappearance.

Aoko had picked up even on the rising worry Kaito had felt regarding Shinichi's state of mind, and Shinichi knew that the same was true for Ran and himself.

Once, Ran had been lured away from him on a case by the culprit. The man had played his part of feigning innocence damn well and Ran had just followed him to help him prepare some tea. He had thought Ran to be an easy target and had wanted to use her as a hostage to get out of the house, what hadn't been well thought through anyway, but his worst mistake was to underestimate Ran.

She had been briefly taken by surprise from his attack before her trained reflexes kicked in – literally. He was small fry for her and didn't give her any trouble.

Shinichi had felt the flare of her attentiveness and had dropped his investigations right there and then to dash into the little kitchen. By then, the culprit already was unconscious on the floor and Ran greeted him with a sheepish smile, saying she might have overreacted a bit.

On the one hand, not getting a distress signal could mean that Ran and Kazuha didn't feel threatened and were relatively safe for now, on the other hand they maybe weren't able to emit any signals and that was what had Shinichi worried.

Blocking a distress signal was only possible by rendering the Guide unconscious or keeping them so drugged that they were almost apathetic. He dreaded both options because the thought alone that the girls were helpless and incapable of defending themselves when faced with a potentially dangerous kidnapper made his stomach turn.

The building where once a MindCenter had been located loomed in front of them, reflecting the rotating blue flashes of light of the police cars, and Shinichi's throat went dry in anticipation. He was sure Ran was inside there, waiting for him. It took all his willpower not to just storm in there headless and shout her name. On all windows the curtains were drawn shut and it was impossible to see what was happening in the rooms.

They had a plan and he was only here because he had promised Megure that he wouldn't run off on his own. The bulletproof west felt heavy and he swallowed hard to control nerves.

Whoever was inside must have noticed them by now and if not, Megure now made sure of it by using a megaphone to call out to them.

"This is the police, you are surrounded. Surrender now and come out peacefully or we will storm the building!"

They waited for a response in tense silence.

Nothing happened.

Megure repeated his order one more time before he gave the signal to enter.

Shinichi and Heiji were both to follow the leading officer for their respective group. Heiji was with Satou and Takagi whereas Shinichi was with the Inspector. The third group that included Mouri was accompanied by Kaito – not that they knew it because he had disguised as Hiragawa again. Each group would be in charge of one of the three floors and officers would guard all exits should the culprits try to flee.

Heiji's group stormed through the front doors first, pushing right through into the ground level and securing the staircase and elevators for the second and third group. No one was sitting at the reception counter, but they hadn't really expected someone there anyway.

Shinichi didn't have the time to ponder over who might be in the corridors and rooms of the ground level or first floor, because his group was running up the stairs to the second floor, passing the first that had already been secured by team two. He faintly heard some shouting and barked orders, but his focus was on what might await them at the top.

Maybe there was nothing at all and they would have to regroup with the other teams to support them but there also was the chance that they would find Toda and hopefully the kidnapped victims up there.

In his haste, he hadn't even noticed that he had bypassed all the other officers and was now leading the group on through the narrow staircase. He would care about what Megure had to say about that later and dashed up the next flight of stairs when suddenly right behind him something exploded with a deafening crash and the shockwave had him tumble to the floor, protecting his head from the flying pieces of concrete and broken tiles.

When the worst had died down, he looked up, coughing from the dust that still filled the air to see that a whole chunk of the stair was missing now, and a large gap separated him from the rest of the group.

"Kudou-kun!" Megure's raspy voice came through. "You alright?"

Shinichi coughed some more to free his lungs, wincing at the scratching sensation, but aside from that he felt fine. Some cuts and scratches from the flying derbies and his ears were ringing a bit, but that was about it. "I'm okay, what about you guys?"

He could hear some pained groans and hoped that it wasn't too bad. "Some minor injuries, we will send them back down to the paramedics outside, but we can't cross the gap to your side. We will have to wait for the fire-fighters to fix it."

"Why the hell were here explosives?" Then Shinichi remembered the mentioning of the military and he would bet that Toda had some connections to some old comrade-in-arms. He cursed. "What about the elevators?"

"Blown up as well. The other teams report that there have been explosions on all floors and the elevators as well. The only way out now is over the roof, which is equipped with a helipad. Takagi is already calling for aerial reinforcement."

"Shit! They must have prepared this in case of discovery so they can get away. We don't have time to wait for the fire-fighters!" Shinichi looked up the last remaining steps.

"Kudou-kun, you will stay put! We will intercept them if they even manage to escape at all."

Shinichi gave Megure a rueful smile. "Sorry, Inspector, I know you said no solo action, but I can't wait here. Who knows if they'll take any of their hostages with them or if they are regarded as a liability they have to get rid of."

"Do you really think Toda-san would harm Ran-kun?"

His head tilted down. "I don't know anymore."

The Toda he knew would never do anything that could hurt her, but it seemed that he never had known the real Toda.

Ignoring the curses from Megure behind him, Shinichi ran up to the door that led to the second floor.

-ooOOoo-

The next time Ran woke, the ceiling above her wasn't the yellowed white from before but a strange green and she could make out some kind of light-fixture to the right that pointed down on some point beside her. She turned her head to find out more and flinched when she discovered that Toda was sitting next to her and watched her silently.

"Hey, Ran-san, how are you feeling?"

She blinked a few times, taken aback by his calm behavior. As if it was totally normal to knock someone out and carry them to who knew where. Her attempt to sit up was hindered when she found her hands tied to the sides of the bed with thick padded leather cuffs.

She stared at them, fighting down the urge to panic. Instead, she turned to Toda again, hoping that it had been a mistake, that he would free her if she only asked him to.

He must have read it in her eyes, because he apologetically shook his head. "The cuffs will remain for the time being. I can't risk that you use your karate skills and try to escape. I still need your assistance."

"Escape? Assistance? Tell me already what is going on here!"

Satisfied, she noticed that her voice only shook the slightest bit.

Toda leaned back in his chair and eyed her for a while. "Ran-san, have you ever thought it was unfair that Kudou-kun got those powers and not you?"

Confused, Ran opened her mouth to answer but closed it again when she found she didn't know how to. Of course, she had envied Shinichi at times when he was able to help someone due to his heightened senses and got praised for it, but she also knew of the other side of the coin. The headaches, the nausea, the vertigo and how the whole Sentinel-thing constricted his daily life.

She was well aware that he didn't always wanted to be followed in case something triggered a zone out or a fugue. He wanted to be independent and do stuff alone - it just wasn't always possible. It was a gift and a curse and thinking about it, she got her answer.

"No, I don't want to switch with him. I'm happy when I can support him when it becomes a burden and celebrate with him when it helped him solve a case and maybe even save a life."

Toda let out a low chuckle. "As expected from you - you are so loyal, you would never harbor any ill feelings against your partner. Kudou-kun can count himself lucky to have you. Even though, I will have to borrow your ability for someone else today."

He motioned to a bed that was standing directly under the light-fixture and only now, Ran realized that someone was lying on it. The person was male and maybe in his late twenties. She didn't recognize him and the odd angle didn't allow her to make out much of his facial features. His head seemed to be fixated with a strap across the forehead and he stared at the ceiling blankly.

"Who is that? Is he okay?"

"Perfectly, don't worry. He is here on his own accord, I assure you. He is just not completely conscious right now." He stood up and adjusted something on the strap. "This man is twenty-six years old - long past the time to come online. Nonetheless, he wishes for nothing more than to be a Sentinel. Wouldn't it be great if we could grant him this wish? To grant it to anyone who desires the power?"

"He is a Neutral who wants to be a Sentinel? It is impossible to come online after sixteen - at least there never has been a case reported where that happened. Why are you promising him something you can't hold?"

"Who says that I can't?" Toda asked and his lips turned up at one corner.

"You- you can?"

"Let's say I'm working on it and that is exactly why I need your help, Ran-san. I will try to awaken the stagnate abilities in this man and when he does come online, I need you to guide him, keep him stable. As you've mentioned, twenty-six is not the usual age for this and the body and mind are not prepared for it anymore. I can take care of any needs the body might have, but I can't help with the senses, as I am a Neutral as well," he shrugged and the half-smile turned sad.

Ran looked at him for a moment, remembering how excited he always had been during their sessions, how he had looked at Shinichi when her boyfriend came from a session with Shiho and told them about his progress. Proud, but sometimes with a hint of something else.

Envy.

"You want to be a Sentinel as well, don't you?"

"Yes," he answered with certainty. "I always wanted to be one, but fate didn't play out my way so I'll have to give it a little push."

"But why like this? Why didn't you just ask me for help, or your superiors? Wouldn't they be interested in this research as well? They might have helped you."

A dry laugh erupted from his mouth. "My superiors? They snorted at me when I told them about my idea and told me to go back to work. They even demoted me from my position as a MindCenter leader when some of the Guides who were willing to experiment with me, well… had to be tended to with a bit of extra medical care. Granted - the theory was a bit nebulous back then, but I've come so far over the last decade and now it's almost reality. I can't wait to rub it in their mocking faces that they've been wrong. Look at this," he said and pointed at something that hung in a clasp beneath the spot-light.

Ran strained her neck to get a good look at it and gaped. "Is that - the Vermillion Morning?" she asked astounded.

"Indeed - you've seen it at the heist, right? The one you visited with Kudou-kun and your friends. Now they call the jewel Vermillion Morning, but back in the days it was known as 'Pandora'."

"You knew I was there? You - Kazuha! Did you take Kazuha as well? Where is she?" Ran suddenly shouted and yanked at her restraints. If Kazuha really was here, she had to free her - maybe they all were here in this abandoned hospital?

"Calm down, your friend is save. I don't need her if you play your role and help me guide this man. If you fail-" he shrugged helplessly. "I'll have to restore to a Guide with a lesser Rank, though I would rather not, because what if he comes online as a Level 5s? There have been failures before and I don't wish for a repeat."

Ran's mouth went dry. Failures? Did he mean the other missing people? Were they all - dead?

"That you came into my office that night was a strike of luck for me. Who would have thought that Kudou-kun would send you right into my arms? I would have reached out to you as soon as I was sure it worked without any doubt - I didn't want to risk you but now I have no choice. Taking the Toyama girl had been a mistake and I made sure my subordinate is well aware of that."

Ran shuddered at the implied meaning and remembered the man who had shot at KID and Shinichi to take the jewel. He must be involved with Toda - if he was still alive.

"It made the Osakan kid way too desperate to find me and even Kudou-kun got on the case," he sighed.

"The Oskakan..."

Toda's eyebrows shot up. "He didn't tell you? How typical," he scoffed. "Your tanned friend knew about the disappearing Guides for some time now and thought he was investigating oh-so-stealthy, but in the end he couldn't put the clues together, but now with Kudou-kun in the picture... I don't think I have much time left. I finally got the key to unlock the dormant potential but I still have to test it."

Ran bit back the disappointment that stung her at the thought that the boys had kept this a secret from her. There would be time later to chew them out, because they would come to their rescue, she was sure of it.

"Shinichi will find me!"

Toda just grinned and at the expression in his eyes, Ran felt her stomach drop. "Haven't you noticed yet? Your mind is unable to reach out right now thanks to a little drug I came across during my search for Pandora. Do you understand what that means?"

Ran's breath hitched, because yes - she did understand and her throat constricted. If her mind couldn't reach out, there would be no distress signal either. She tried to brush Toda's mind, and even though he was a Neutral she should have been able to feel _something_.

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing. She couldn't even feel her own mind.

She hadn't felt like this since the time before she had come online and she had forgotten how isolated that felt.

She swallowed hard. She had somewhat counted on Shinichi picking up on her signal and finding her, but that was no option now. But still - he was a detective, and a very skilled one at that. He would not leave a stone unturned until he had found her.

Finding some resolve in that thought, she schooled her expression into something more determined. „He will find me anyway!"

Toda just chuckled. "I'm counting on it. After all, I have to break your bond before you can become my Guide."

"Break- … our bond? But that-"

"I know, it's unfortunate, but once forged, a bond lasts for a lifetime. Believe me when I say that I would prefer another solution - I don't dislike Kudou-kun, but in this case I'll allow myself to be greedy. To be selfish. Just this once I will take what I desire and that is you, Ran-san. A Guide of the highest degree and such a kind soul. If that means that I have to take Kudou-kun out of the picture, so be it."

He said it with such conviction and clinical coldness that she didn't doubt he would follow through with it.

 _'No! Please, no - Shinichi, don't come here!'_

"Anyway, until your hero arrives, shall we continue with our little experiment? Sano-kun is prepared and ready, let's not let his efforts go waste, right?"

"I won't help you!"

"But if you don't, Sano-kun here might die. I know you Ran-san, you couldn't live with yourself if he died and you could have done something."

His kind smile was sickening and with a huff, she turned her head away, only to look back in his direction when he began to start the machine next to Sano. The light above him intensified and shone directly through the stone.

"Interested?"

She wanted to say no, but couldn't deny that yes, she was curious.

Toda continued to configure the settings while he explained. "You remember the maelstrom Miyano-san uses for the sessions with Kudou-kun? This is similar. Inside the jewel is another stone with symbols ingrained into its surface. They only become visible in the right kind of light, to be exact it has to be neutral white, which is between 3300-5300 Kelvin. Did you ever wonder why KID holds his heists only on nights with a full moon? It's because moonlight falls exactly in that category with 4120k."

The color of the light changed, got colder.

"That's basically it. Look at the symbols on the stone that is bathed in neutral light for about ten minutes and your hidden potential will be unlocked. I say about ten minutes because that is what I'm still working on. The correct length of time is crucial and getting it wrong means either nothing happens or the patient's mind shuts down from overdrive. This time I will try how it works with 8:50 minutes. Let's see how it goes."

Spellbound, Ran stared at the beam of light that filtered through the jewel and onto Sano's face. His eyes widened and after a few moments he began to twitch.

It was wrong.

Despite understanding that some people would desire the powers of a Sentinel, forcing them out like this was unnatural and she didn't want to think about how many poor souls had tried this before just to lose themselves forever.

She tested her bonds again, now that Toda was distracted by his experiment and not paying her any attention. Unfortunately they were sturdy and held steady no matter how hard she tried to get out of them.

Frustrated, she let herself fall back against the bed. There had to be something she could do, but Toda was right. Should Sano really come online, she would try her best to help him, no matter if that meant aiding Toda as well.

A few minutes passed and the twitching changed into convulsing and Sano began to grunt in pain.

"You - you have to stop! That can't be normal!" she exclaimed concerned.

Toda shrugged. "Who can say what counts as normal in this situation, but I never said it would be painless, did I? After all, rewriting the human mind is quite the feat and I would be surprised if it didn't come at some cost."

Ran hated how detached he could speak about the suffering of another human. Was this really the man she had looked up to for so long? Who had been like a second father for her? Her heart was heavy and tears stung in her eyes as she realized that that person was no longer there, that she had lost him to his maniacal ambitions to become someone he simple wasn't.

She mentally readied herself to reach out to the mind of a stranger, when she remembered, that she currently couldn't do that. "Toda-san, if you want me to guide him, I need you to undo whatever you did to my mind or I would be useless." Maybe then her distress signal would work again as well.

"Right, but this has time until we know if it worked. Don't worry it only takes one little injection and your mind is free again."

As much as she disliked the thought that he would inject her with some weird stuff, as much she wanted to regain control.

She was startled out of her musings when suddenly explosions rocked the floor.

"What-? What was that?"

"Ah, seems as if we're about to get company soon. I knew that we would be found sooner or later and placed some explosives at the staircases and the elevators. The order was to detonate them in case the police stormed the building."

He turned to Sado and began to unstrap the unresponsive man. "Sorry, but it seems like I don't have the time for you anymore." Without any care, he shoved him from the table and Ran stifled a scream when he hit the ground hard and without any means to protect himself.

"Would have been a failure anyway. I think the time span has to be much shorter." He winked at her. "I think it's time for me to find out myself, right? Before the police will take everything here apart, I will reach my goal! I'm counting on your guidance, Ran-san."

With that, he leaned back and focused on the jewel above him before Ran could say anything.

Toda's body started to tremble, just like Sano's had, who was now lying on the floor. He was facing in her direction and his eyes were wide and empty. If he could ever be brought back was questionable and Ran averted her gaze, shuddering.

After just two or three minutes that seemed endless to her, Toda suddenly jerked upwards, gasping for air. He obviously fought for control, hands clutching his head and eyes squeezed shut. "That's it – it's done, I just have to…argh…Shit, this is more intense… than I thought."

He rolled off the table and landed on shaky feet, grabbing the edge of the table for support with one hand, while the other scrambled for a syringe and a scalpel, cutting himself in the process. Toda screamed when his heightened sense of touch made the small cut feel like a gushing wound.

Ran was torn between wanting to help her mentor and wishing that he would suffer as much as possible for what he had done. Without her help, he won't be able to regain control any time soon if at all. She knew it was wrong to wish for someone to be in pain, but he had hurt so many people, maybe even killed – and he had threatened Shinichi. She couldn't forgive any of that.

No, she wouldn't help him. He would drown in the senses he had desired and she would not feel guilty about it.

Toda had stabilized himself enough to stumble over to her and he pressed the needle to her throat, showing her the scalpel in his other hand.

"Ready, Ran-san? You… argh… will guide me or… I'll have to… cut your throat."

* * *

 **AN:** Extra long chapter and a cliffhanger. You're welcome XD


	12. Collision

**Chapter twelve**  
Collision  
-ooOOoo-

* * *

His breath came out in pants as Shinichi hurried down the empty corridor. The doors he passed on his left and right were open and the rooms he caught a short glimpse of were unoccupied.

Was really no one up here? Was it an unused floor?

Then he heard a scream and he dashed towards the direction it had come from. He rounded a corner and there was another corridor full of open doors. Quickly checking each room, he came to one that was actually closed.

Shinichi opened the door with a strong push, just to come to a stunned stop the moment he saw what was going on inside.

A man, lying on the ground and Toda, who was holding a needle against Ran's neck and a glinting scalpel in his other hand.

"Kudou-kun,… welcome," Toda panted heavily and squinted against the light coming from the corridor. "Come in and have a seat for the show…. It's starting right now," he grinned and sunk the needle into Ran's carotid artery, injecting whatever the syringe was containing into her bloodstream.

"No!-hhnnngg…" Shinichi shouted but doubled over when he was suddenly hit by Ran's distress signal like a tidal wave. His head was spinning, and his vision was overcome by white for a moment. Either even Senes-5 weren't enough to block out this massive signal or maybe his mind was finally breaking down the medically erected walls. Great timing, really.

"Shinichi!"

He shook his head slightly to get rid of the last dancing spots that obscured his vision and found himself on his hands and knees. The next second, two strong hands were gripping him hard under his shoulders, dragging him up and over to the operation table.

Lashing out in reflex, his knee connected with something and Toda grunted in pain, but refused to let go, holding him down with the strength desperate people sometimes possessed. Shinichi felt the hard, cold metal surface at his back when he was bent over backwards. He shoved as hard as he could, but the other man was bigger than him and his sheer weight held him down as Toda leaned over him with one arm pressing against his chest so heavy it almost cut of Shinichi's ability to inhale. Then his own arms were suddenly trapped at his sides and he realized that Toda had reached over to get the other end of the leather strap and had now secured him to the table with it.

He struggled against his bonds, but those straps were designed to hold down trashing patients with more than double of his weight and he didn't stand a chance.

"Toda-san," he panted. "Stop this right now!"

Toda's breath came out in short rasps and he ignored Shinichi, walking to where the detective's head lay and proceeded to fasten the strap over his forehead as well, no matter who much Shinichi tossed his head. The leather was strapped so tight it almost cut into his skin and he was now forced to look up at the ceiling where he saw the Vermillion Morning held in a clasp under a spotlight.

"Toda-san, please don't hurt him!" he heard Ran's desperate outcry but couldn't turn his head to look at her. She seemed to know whatever this strange construction did wouldn't be pleasant for him.

"But Ran-san, don't you think it… would be interesting to see what Pandora does… to an already awakened Sentinel? Would it enhance… agh… his senses even further? Would he be able to handle it? Uaghh… " He flinched away when the dimmed spotlight shone into his pupils for a second, covering his eyes.

"Guide me, Ran-san… now! Or I will use Pandora… on your precious Sentinel-boyfriend." He almost spat out the last words, making it clear that he didn't care about Shinichi one bit.

Ran was stricken with fear for Shinichi and horror at Toda's hostility against the boy he had supervised as a mentor for years. He had laughed with them over silly jokes, supported them through the first rough time – she had felt safe with him.

Had all of that really just been a front – a show to gain their trust? Had he never meant any of his kind words?

"Ran, don't!"

Shinichi's calm words brought her out of her stupor. "But- I can't! You will-"

"You can! Don't let him win – if you guide him, he might escape and might hurt even more people - The police will be here soon and he can't hold on much longer on his own just-"

He was cut off with a violent slap across his face that would have made his head snap to the side if he hadn't been strapped down. He accidently swallowed a bit of blood that had run into his mouth, making him choke. Toda must have busted his lip.

"Shut up! Fuck – now my hand hurts like hell."

"Already regretting coming online, Toda-san?" Shinichi teased.

"You little shit," Toda cursed, rummaged around somewhere next to Shinichi's cheek. "You've never been good enough for Ran-san and now I will take her from you!"

Then Shinichi felt a prick at his neck. His hissed as a cold liquid ran through his veins, travelling through his body with every pump of his heart.

His body grew numb. First his fingers, arms and legs, then he couldn't even move or close his eyes, what forced him to look straight up into the light. Before he lost his ability to speak, he pressed out. "Trust me," and hoped that Ran would hang in there.

Even without a proper explanation, he had now figured out what would happen next. Toda actually had managed to unlock his abilities as a Sentinel with the help of the jewel and Shinichi had frankly no clue what Pandora would do to himself either. He just prayed that the lock, Senes-5 had on his senses would hold up a bit longer and maybe interfere with Pandora's impact.

The light above him became brighter as Toda dialed it up.

„Last chance,...Ran-san. I don't think I can stop the process… after this."

Ran screamed inwardly, sure that now she would be heard by every Sentinel in this hospital and maybe, hopefully one would find them soon. Though she didn't know about the extent of the damage the explosions had caused, she was sure the police would soon find a way up to them. They had to!

She grit her teeth and her gaze flickered from Toda to Shinichi and back. As much as she wanted to believe that Shinichi knew what he was doing, she couldn't bear to see him suffer. She just couldn't. If the police really were almost there, they could take care of Toda even when he had a grip on his senses, right?

If only he didn't get away with the jewel, everything would be fine.

„I- I will guide you, please - don't harm him," she pleaded.

Toda grinned and Ran shrank away, repulsed by the knowledge that she had to enter the mind of this man, who she'd come to despise.

„Now, now, I don't think that is something an employee from the MindCenter should do to his charges," came a new voice from the door.

Ran had never been so relieved to see the thief in his trademark white. „KID!"

He tilted his head in her direction. „Ran-san, I hope you can endure just a moment longer. I have to… talk with this man here."

Toda held himself upright with some difficulty. „Kaitou KID… so you finally found me… Took you… long enough."

KID frowned. „So it has been you who ordered a hit on my head."

A chuckle. „Of course,... and if I remember correctly, I… already succeeded ten years ago. You are not the original KID… who are you?"

A menacing grin no one has ever seen on KID's face spread over his features and Ran stared at him with caught breath. The thief in white suddenly was frightening her.

„I will show you, Toda-san."

All Ran could see was how KID's focus on Toda was intensifying and how the older man's whole body shuddered. He clutched the edge of the operation table and reached up to the light fixture with a desperate movement.

„It's...a shame…." The light flared up, filtered through the jewel and filled Shinichi's eyes. „That now I might... not even see the end of this experiment."

"No!" Ran yelled in panic, pulling at her bonds with all her might, realizing that Toda endangered Shinichi to distract KID, and she was sure that any other time that would have been successful, but the thief's mind was already too much occupied with Toda to realize what was going on around him.

A second later, Toda sank to the floor without uttering another sound.

Ran's mind recognized the pattern of a new connection being created. But not a consenting one - KID had violently taken over Toda's mind.

-ooOOoo-

Heiji came to a stumbling stop and his head shot up when he heard the rumble of explosions and felt the whole building vibrate.

"What tha…"

He looked around to check if everyone was alright. The explosions hadn't been near them and he just met expressions as startled as his own, but no one seemed to be hurt. Setting off into a sprint again, he searched every room on the ground level, together with Satou, Takagi and their group.

Satou began to speak into her radio frantically. "Megure-keibu, what happened?"

After a few seconds of unnerving static, the Inspector answered. "The staircase exploded, no casualties though, but we can't go up or down. We are trapped between the floors. Send the fire-fighters up to get us out. Group two – report!"

Heiji let out a relieved breath. Kudou's group might be trapped but they were okay.

"Group two reporting – the elevators are blown up too. All floors are separated from each other. No casualties aside from some minor cuts and bruises."

"Alright," came Megure's voice through again. "One more thing," he added and Heiji wondered why his voice sounded so reluctant. "We got separated from Kudou-kun, who ended up on the other side of the explosion. He continued to the second floor alone, but doesn't have a radio to contact us, so we don't know what is going on up there. If the fire-fighters aren't able to get up, instruct the helicopter to land. Try to get in from above. I want him out of there as quick as possible!"

 _'Me too,'_ Heiji thought with worry for his friend. It would just be Shinichi's luck to stumble over the leader all by himself, and if what they suspected was true, then he would have to face is mentor, Toda.

The teen cursed under his breath. He couldn't help him right now as he had to concentrate on his own task, and that was finding the girls.

"What about the kidnappers or the victims?" Megure asked.

Satou spoke up. "We arrested a few people working here on the ground floor, but we are not done checking all the rooms. We're trying to get them to talk where the victims are."

The leader of group two began to respond in kind, when he was interrupted by an officer. The rest could hear what he was saying through the radio. "Keibu! We just found some of the victims in a room at the end of the corridor. Three are not responsive, one is dead."

"Shit!" It was seldom to hear Megure swear, but in this situation, they all thought the same. "Identification?"

Heiji's throat constricted. What if Kazuha was one of them? Or Ran? His hands balled into trembling fists at his side while he waited for the response.

"So far not possible, they don't carry any belongings. All four are male and in their late twenties or early thirties."

Males. They were all male. Not Kazuha or Ran then.

He almost slumped to the ground when the tension left his body, but he quickly pulled himself together again. He still had to find them.

 _'Kazuha, please, be okay.'_

He continued to kick open doors, with an officer at his side to secure the rooms, and with every failure, his adrenaline was rising more, the anticipation to finally find her stifling him.

Kick. Rush in. Secure. Nothing. And repeat.

The few people they encountered were taken care of by the police, and Heiji didn't pay them any mind after they refused to answer his questions about the victims. Stubborn bastards. At this point they just wanted to make it harder for them. Heiji was sure they were all criminals or at least had a shady background. People who got a kick out of messing with the police, even when it was clear that they had lost already.

With a frustrated outcry, he kicked open the next door.

And paused when all air left his lungs in a rush as if someone had punched his gut.

"Kazuha!"

The room was filled with beds on each side, ten of eleven total and they all were occupied by still forms, lying there without noticing that the door had just been busted open.

Kazuha was lying in one of the beds closest to the door and he was at her side in an instant. When he wanted to take her hand, he noticed that they were tied to the steel-frame of the bed and he let out a low growl, making quick work of opening the cuffs.

He just barely noticed that more officers were rushing in, one of them shouting for the paramedics.

"Kazuha…" he said again, but this time it wasn't much more than a pleading whisper.

Her eyes were closed, and she looked peaceful, as if she was sleeping, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't wake her. They must have drugged her and the others to keep them under, but what worried him even more was that he still couldn't feel their bond.

He tried to find their connection, but there was nothing at all. Just silence, as if he was trying to touch a Neutral's mind. His breathing sped up as he frantically tried to connect with her again and again, concentrating hard on the feeling of her hand in his until all he knew was the smoothness of her skin, the slightly cooler temperature of her body and the slow but steady pulse thrumming against his fingers. Everything else around him fell away.

He was zoning out and only the Senes-2 he had taken prior prevented him from raging on the spot, dampening the sensation. Still - he wasn't able to pull himself together, but a second later, he felt a distress signal from another Guide. A Guide he knew very well even if he hadn't connected with her before.

 _'Ran!'_

It was the impulse he needed to fight against the upcoming fugue and with a blink he found himself back at Kazuha's bed.

One of the paramedics was touching his shoulder, asking him to step back. Heiji obeyed, but his eyes never left her face until he could no longer resist the urge, Ran's signal had triggered in him. He had to look for her, not only because Shinichi wasn't here to do it himself but also because his instincts demanded it.

The first victims were already being carried out on stretchers and he looked in every face, startled when he wasn't met with a sleeping expression, but eyes that stared into nothing.

One, two, three – four of them looked as if they were zoning out, just that Guides didn't do that.

Guide-shock.

It happened when a Guide was overwhelmed by their own feelings, typically fear or pain, and didn't find a Sentinel to grant their mind shelter. They ended up locked into their heads with no way to communicate with the world outside, unless a Sentinel was able to break them free.

But Ran wasn't among them. She wasn't here at all.

 _'Shit!'_

He ran over to where Satou was overseeing the paramedics with a grim expression.

"Satou-keiji, anythin' new from tha other groups?"

She shook her head, knowing what he wanted to ask. "Not much. Group two only reported some more arrests and group three is still stuck in the staircase. No one has seen her so far."

"Damn it – what-"

He was interrupted when Kazuha was carried out of the room, and the concern for her well-being overwrote almost everything else. They had been separated only for three days, but it felt so much longer, he couldn't bear to leave her side again.

On the other side, he knew that Shinichi was most probably in trouble and he wasn't one to leave his pals behind, and also he still felt the echo of the distress signal, drawing him to wherever Ran was, but he knew that he wasn't the only Sentinel present and that they would find her even without his help. Actually, he wouldn't be of much use, because he was so distracted that he could zone out any moment again.

He wanted to run to his friends, but he also wanted to stay with Kazuha.

Torn, he looked between the sleeping girl on the gurney that was being carried outside and Satou. "Is there anythin' at all I can do ta help tha people up there?"

"Just go," she urged him on. "We'll take care of the rest," she promised. "We will send them after you in no time."

"Right, thanks." He swallowed at the implemented possibility that his friends would be sent after him in an ambulance and hurried after Kazuha's gurney, turning around one last time, shouting, "Keep me posted!" and held up his cell phone.


	13. Mindspaces

**Chapter thirteen**  
Mindspaces  
-ooOOoo-

* * *

Rage was fueling Kaito and he felt no regrets as he forced his way into Toda's mind. The man had wanted the experience of being a Sentinel? He wanted power? Kaito would show him what power meant.

It was child's play to break through Toda's feeble defenses. The man might know how to help new Sentinel/Guide pairs, but he was in no way prepared to go through this himself.

Kaito brushed over all five senses and indeed, the man had succeeded in coming online as a 5s. That he hadn't been overwhelmed on the spot was sheer dumb luck - some came online more violently than others and he got the mild variation.

But everything was jumbled and chaotic, with tattered edges. It was obvious that Ran hadn't helped him the least, and now the man was slowly losing it. Kaito couldn't deny that it pleased him more than was probably morally justifiable.

This man had destroyed so many lives just because he felt that this power was due to him, had ruthlessly sunk the minds of innocent Guides and also his willing test persons into dark nothingness.

He had killed his father.

'Hey Toda, I assume you can hear me, even when this place is in absolutely disarray,' Kaito spoke to him over their connected minds, displaying his disgust openly.

'How does it feel to have the son of a man you've killed inside your head? Was this how you pictured being a Sentinel?'

Toda had some difficulties answering him with how deranged his mind already was.

'The...? You are the late KID's son.' It was a statement, not a question so Kaito remained quiet.

'I should have known. So, what are your intentions now? I don't suppose you are here to guide me, are you?'

Kaito's chuckle sounded hollowly through Toda's mind. 'I will guide you alright. I will make sure that you will never again get the chance to hurt someone. Not even the most talented medic from the MindCenter will be able to bring you back. When I'm done-'

'No! Kaito, don't!'

Kaito's grip on Toda's mind almost slipped when his girlfriend's voice suddenly resounded in his head.

'Aoko, how did you- Where are you?'

'I'm outside of the building. I followed you when you left, please don't be mad, but you were so upset and tense, I just had to.'

Of course, she had done that. Despite her fierce temper, she was a gentle soul and even before their bond, she had been able to pick up on his moods better than anyone else.

'Kaito, please - even I can feel that this man won't go anywhere ever again even without you adding to that. Let go of him, don't dirty yourself with his fate - your father wouldn't want this and you know that. Please.'

He fought with himself. He knew that she was right, but the mourning little boy inside of him, who had lost his father was raging and crying for revenge.

Revenge for all the pain, he and his mother had to go through.

For all the important and all the little moments, his father hadn't been around for.

For losing the man he had looked up to so much and had loved even more.

'Can't you feel it?' Aoko's voice cut through the haze again. 'Even I can sense that there is another Sentinel close to you and his Guide with him. She is calling out to you - to anyone who might listen. Help her - focus on what is really important right now, and it's not this despicable man.'

Now that his focus wasn't completely on Toda anymore, Kaito recognized Ran's mind that was crying out in despair. What was going on in the room?

'You are right, my love - as always,' he sent her a rueful smile and felt how she drew back, relieved and satisfied that she had gotten through to him.

With a last resentful shove at Toda that wouldn't do any damage but felt too good to pass, Kaito cut their connection and floated back to the reality he had left for only a few minutes.

He had to admit, that he hadn't really been aware of the situation he had burst into, fast to channel all his rage at Toda. Just that Toda had threatened Ran, whose hands were tied to the bed she was lying on, while doing something to Shinichi who had been strapped to an operation table.

As he now opened his eyes, much had changed.

Toda was still lying on the spot where he had crumpled under Kaito's mind's pressure, but Ran was no longer on the bed, the bonds that had held her swinging uselessly from the metal railing - cut open with a scalpel that still lay on the bed sheet. Her right wrist was bleeding where she he'd cut herself without caring in the process of getting out of the cuffs.

She was bent over the table Shinichi was lying on, crying while she was focused on their connection, but the detective's previously still form was now trashing as much as possible with the leather strap still across his chest.

What had happened while he had been occupied with Toda?

-ooOOoo-

Ran couldn't believe her eyes when she realized what KID was doing. She had been with Shinichi to so many of his heists, that she had thought she knew him at least a little by now, and never would she have thought that he could be so violent. His rule was that no one got hurt on his heists, he went out of his way to help whenever he could.

But this was no heist.

She wasn't sure about his reasons, but he was forcefully invading Toda's mind, something that was considered a crime. There were laws to protect Sentinels and Guides alike and the first law was to never enter another's mind without consent. The only ones allowed to bend that rule where medics who had to break a fugue, rage or Guide-shock.

She had half the mind to throw herself into the fray, but she had to help Shinchi first. While she didn't agree with KID's actions, Shinichi was more important.

Frantically, she looked around. She was still tied to the bed, but she could connect with him like this as well. Trying to find his mind, all she got was a static that had her recoil.

She needed to get to him - touch always intensified their bond, almost blurred the lines between their minds. Her gaze landed on something glinting between her sheets. A bit of wiggling and she saw that it was the scalpel Toda had threatened her with. He must have dropped it when he had attacked Shinichi.

She strained her right arm as far as the bonds allowed her, but she couldn't reach it, so she started to twist and bend until her right foot touched the cold metal and carefully shoved it closer to her hand.

"Yes!"

Triumphantly, she grinned briefly and began to cut at the cuff, what was difficult with the awkward angle she had to hold the scalpel in. She cut her skin almost as often as the leather, but finally the cuff fell away and she could free her other hand as well.

In one jump, she was off the bed and halfway across the room. Her hands flew to the buckle of the leather strap across Shinichi's head and opened it, then gently turned his head to the side, so he was no longer forced to stare up at the jewel. She didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but a longer exposure to the light could only be fatal.

As soon as his eyes broke the contact with the beam of light, he began to twitch and to gasp for air, still not aware of Ran's presence at his side.

She hurried to establish their connection, both hands on his cheeks, stroking them with her thumbs.

Not sure what to expect, her first approach was slow, almost wary, because who knew what Pandora might have done to him.

'Shinichi?' she called out softly, but didn't get an answer.

His normally welcoming mind felt foreign now, and even with skin contact she had some trouble to get the bond working properly - as if it was blocked. She had felt something similar after he had taken Senes-4 one time, and it didn't go too well at the end. Back then, all but the one sense that had been left open had repelled her and all she could do was to guide that one sense and wait till the drug wore off to tend to the rest. It had been awful and they agreed that he would never take Senes-4 again.

This time, the barrier wasn't as strong but it still was there - on all five of his senses.

 _'Shinichi - did you-'_ Her own mind trembled in fear and she forced down the panic when she realized the he must have taken Senes-5 to keep his powers at bay. How long? Since the day of her disappearance?

She shook herself. What mattered now was to guide him back - out of the mess the combination of the drug and Pandora's influences had made of his mind.

Ran was used to his logically organized structures and sharp, flashing thoughts, but what she found now was chaos. Whizzing splinters made of sound, taste, impressions, memories - and all of them where whirring around her, making her dizzy.

As if someone had taken all of his mindspace, shattered it like a mirror and then let all the pieces be blown around in a whirlwind.

Whenever she tried to get in touch with one, she had to draw back or she would have hurt herself. He had to slow down, or she wouldn't be able to help him, so she began to concentrate on calming him even though he still had to give her a sign that he had noticed her at all.

The problem was that as soon as she had slowed the tornado and reached for a piece, she had to let go of her hold on him and everything sped up again.

It was too much - she couldn't do both.

She couldn't reach him. No matter how often she tried, the only result was that her own strength lessened with every failed attempt and she soon felt exhausted.

A sob wrenched itself out of her throat when she realized that it was hopeless.

'Shinichi!'

He couldn't hear her.

He was lost in his own mind.

Not caring what it was doing to herself, she refused to accept that fact and continued desperately to catch little fragments that cut her again and again, when she felt someone push through Shinichi's defenses. She had never touched this mind before but it could only be one person.

'KID!'

'I would say fancy meeting you here, but I don't think that is quite appropriate now, right?'

The thieves mind as exactly like the personality he had shown them on his heists. Quick, flexible and playful. Gone was the aggressive behavior that had terrified her, but everything was drenched with a heavy tinge of fierceness.

'Don't worry, Ran-san. My anger is not directed at your detective and it won't hurt him, but something else already did and I know that it's partly my fault. I'm sorry - please let me help.'

She hesitated for a moment to let anyone else than herself into the depths of Shinichi's being, but it was the only choice she had right now and maybe with KID's help, there was still hope to bring him back.

-ooOOoo-

Toda had dialed up the light above him and instantly, Shinichi's gaze was drawn to the jewel no matter how hard he tried to focus on the ceiling or the spotlight instead. The room around him fell away, the voices faded and all that was left was silence and the glowing gem above him, in whose center something began to glow and spread. It was a bit as if a hologram had been projected into the air between the jewel and him, and it reminded him of the maelstrom Shiho used to help him with his control - only that it was moving much faster and consisted of red gleaming lines that intertwined with themselves to form a complicated, delicate pattern and his eyes were following its windings, curves and edges from the rim to the center.

First, he felt nothing, the drug that was blocking his senses from connecting with the outside also didn't allow Pandora to influence him, but he couldn't stop. He had to repeat the cycle over and over again and with every circuit, he felt how tiny cracks formed in his shield and how something seeped through those fractures to tug at him.

He concentrated harder, willing his eyes to remain on one spot instead of following the maze of red lines, pulling back like he had trained it whenever he felt that sensation of lightheadedness that indicated a zone out, but it only worked for a few seconds every time he managed it at all, and even those got shorter. Soon, he was too exhausted to hold anything against Pandora's force and the moment he had to let go, he was swept away, floating between the layers of weaving all around him, but shortly before he reached the center another time, everything shattered. The connection to Pandora was suddenly gone and he fell back into himself only to find that he couldn't recognize anymore what should be his own mind.

Desperately, he searched for an anchor, anything that would help him to bring order into the chaos, but the longer he fought for control, the more he lost what he was.

Why he was.

Who he was.

The whirlwind around him wiped everything away, leaving him blank.

The last thing remaining was a bond. He couldn't remember to whom it belonged but he held onto it with all his might, heard a soft calling.

A name.

Was that his name?

He wasn't sure, but the one reaching out to him had such a warm feeling to them that he yearned for their touch but couldn't quite cross the distance.

Until suddenly there was a strong pull from another source.

It had nothing of the first one's gentleness. It was brisk and demanding, didn't take no for an answer and simply dragged him forcefully back to the forefront of his mind, where he was greeted by something akin to sunlight waiting to catch him with open arms.

Warm, caring, tender, loving.

'Home.'

-ooOOoo-

Ran worked frantically as soon as KID all but dumped the core of Shinichi's mind into her care and retreated. Piece by piece she put the fragments together, rejoicing whenever a part was done and returned to its place with a soft glowing. She wouldn't be able to repair all of it, but enough for Shinichi to take over once he had recovered.

She cried tears of utter relieve when she felt how the last fundamental part of his mind came back together and when she finally let go of him and returned to herself, his now peacefully sleeping face was already wet from the hot drops that had rolled down her cheeks.

Two strong hands on her shoulders pushed her down onto a chair that hadn't been there before. She needed a moment to compose herself, calm her hiccupping breath and come down from the rush of adrenaline.

After blinking away the last stray tears, she turned to the boy who was standing next to her.

„KID - I… thank you so much! I thought I had lost him. Without you…" She swallowed thickly - the thought alone made her eyes burn again.

„My pleasure, Ran-san. He led me to my father's murderer and I finally could find closure. It was the least I could do."

Ran's gaze fell on Toda for a second, who lay on the ground just as still as the man he had tried to bring online before him.

She tore her eyes away from the gruesome sight and stood up again, though a bit shaky, to hold Shinichi's hand. KID had undone the belt across his chest already, how she thankful noted.

„He will be alright," KID's low voice reassured her. „He is a very stubborn fellow - just give him some time to rest."

Ran nodded wordlessly and smiled a little when she felt how KID slipped out of the room when shouted orders echoed through the corridor.

* * *

 **A.N.:** This chapter contains the initial idea I had for this story and I built everything else around it. I often only have one scene or one sentence at first and then begin to construct what could have happened to lead to that point.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support! 3


	14. Wake-up call

**Chapter fourteen**  
Wake-up call  
-ooOOoo-

* * *

Heiji paced the room restlessly. They had arrived at the hospital an hour ago and he was so done with sitting around. It was tearing at his nerves that all he could do was wait.

Wait to hear how the rest of the raid went.

Wait to hear if Ran and Shinichi were fine.

Wait for Kazuha to wake up.

Kazuha, who currently was sleeping on the bed in the same room he was running up and down in. From the window to the door to the bed to the window…

Since when have hours been so long?

With a heavy sigh, he came to a stop at the bed and watched Kazuha's sleeping face for a moment, before he lowered his head. If only he hadn't left her alone, or even better - hadn't taken her to the heist in the first place.

What had he been thinking? He had known about the disappearances, dammit!

"Good grief, Heiji,... stop rippin' yar hair out. Yar baseball cap only covers so much."

His head shot up again and his gaze met hers. "Kazuha!"

She squeezed her eyes shut again at the volume of his voice. "Hush- please… headache."

"Sorry, sorry," he hurried to apologize in a much lower voice, taking her hand. "Want me ta get a doctor for some pain killers? Does anythin' else hurt? I have water here if ya'r thirsty, I-"

"Heiji."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"O- okay."

Her green eyes fixated on him, scrutinizing. "Ya'r blamin' yarself, aren't ya?"

"Of course, I am! Tha whole mess at tha heist was my fault."

It wasn't often that Kazuha saw her friend in such a state. He normally was brimming with confidence and she didn't like his dejected expression one bit. She wanted her loud-mouthed, dense Heiji back, who was always quick to explode and even quicker to laugh.

"Aho!"

He blinked at her as if she was speaking a different language. "Say what?"

"Ya'r an aho, Heiji - I'm makin' my own decisions and I'm not dependent on yar protection as ya know damn well. I was stupid enough ta go with a stranger without thinkin' twice about it, so that one is totally on me."

"But I knew about tha disappearin' Guides! If I-"

"No! Ya think I would have let ya go alone ta tha heist if ya had told me? And on a side note - did ya really think I didn't know? Ya'r not as talented as ya think at keepin' things from me. I can read yar mind in case ya've forgotten."

Now, this expression was also not often seen on Heiji's face and Kazuha felt quite smug that he looked dumbfounded because of her.

"Ya - knew?"

"Duh - of course. And just like ya, I didn't expect somethin' ta happen while I'm surrounded by officers."

"About that - we had some ideas, but how did they get ya ta follow them willingly?"

Now it was her turn to look bewildered. "Willingly? Tha guy got me away from tha room, talkin' about some emergency, and injected me with somethin'. Next thin' I know is wakin' up here."

"But ya went on yar own two feet - we saw it on tha security tapes… huh… I think it's best ta call for a doctor now. We already suspected that they used some kind of drug, but if ya don't remember anythin' they need ta know. Maybe they can find out what it was."

He moved to get up, but Kazuha's hand held him back.

"Wait!" Her cheeks were red and she looked at him expectantly while worrying her lips. "Before I have ta deal with questions... Ya- ya said that you wanted to tell me somethin' after tha heist, and I think - well, it kind of is after tha heist now?"

He gulped heavily. Of course he remembered saying that, but to be put on the spot right now let all his insecurities rise to the surface again. No matter what she said, it _was_ his fault and he wouldn't allow that something like this would ever happen again, even if that meant that he didn't get to be with her in a romantically way.

He thought he had come to terms with that already, that it was best to keep her at arm's-length away, but who was he trying to fool? They already were as close as two persons could possibly be as Guide and Sentinel with their minds connected, so going one step further was only natural.

Looking at her bright eyes, he blushed, stammered as he searched for the right words and finally just blurted it out.

"I love you!"

For a moment, silence hung over them and Heiji began to sweat. He hadn't misinterpreted the signs, had he?

Then Kazuha let out a rush of air and pulled him down to her face to give him a passionate kiss.

ooOO-OOoo

The doctor, Kirashiro, finished his examination with a thoughtful hum.

"I can't find anything amiss, Toyama-san. Whatever they gave you, your body must have dissipated it by now. My best guess it that it was a sedative not unlike the ones used for surgery. The patient is awake and can move on their own with a bit of help but they won't remember anything after waking up."

"That… sounds kind of creepy," Kazuha said, frowning. Without even realizing it, she moved closer to Heiji, who was sitting on her bedside.

"It's a standard procedure whenever the surgeon needs the opportunity to communicate with the patient during the operation. The anesthetist has the option to pull the patient out of the sedation any given time and put him back under afterwards. Normally this kind of sedation needs to be administered intravenous, but it is what comes to mind first. We will know more as soon as the police finishes the questioning and has secured all evidence."

His beeper went off. "Speak of the devil," he said, looking at the code displayed. "Seems like another ambulance from the scene is coming in, so I'll have to take my leave. If you need anything, don't hesitate to press the call button."

The teens both nodded and were alone in the room again. Kazuha felt how Heiji had gotten restless again.

"Heiji, what's botherin' ya that much? What haven't ya told me?"

He inhaled deeply and let the air out again in a whoosh. "It's about Ran-chan and Kudou, they- we-..." He struggled with the words, the uneasy feeling spreading through his chest. "Ran-chan went missin' as well and she must have been in that buldin' too, but we didn't find her on yar floor. Tha last I know about Kudou is that he went up ta tha top floor and was separated from his team by an explosion."

"What!?" Kazuha stared at him, then she began to shove him off the bed. "Then why are ya still idlin' about here? Go and see ta it that ya find out what is happenin'!"

"Woah, Kazuha - are ya sure?"

"I'm just fine here, and now go, go!"

"Alright, alright - I'm off." And with that he ran down the corridor to search for anyone who could give him an update.

As Kazuha's room was near the emergency room, he did anticipate to come across paramedics who hurriedly pushed gurneys down the corridor, but what he hadn't expected was to be pressed up against a wall to make them way and see that his best friend was lying on said gurney - looking all pale, and that not only because he was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Close behind, Ran was following, but had to stop at the next door where a nurse told her that she could see Shinichi when they had made sure he was okay and had settled him into a room. Until then she had to wait here, thank you very much.

Heiji went over to her still form where she seemed frozen on the spot - staring at the now closed doors. He noticed that her right wrist was bandaged but aside from that she seemed to be alright.

"Hey, Ran-chan," he said softly, not to startle her too much.

She still spun around in surprise, because she hadn't noticed him at all.

"Hattori-kun, you're here! They told me that you found Kazuha, how is she? How are you?"

He took the rambling girl by her arm and led her over to a seating area, pushing her down on a chair. "She is okay and me too, but more importantly - what about you two? What happened up there?"

She slumped a bit on her chair, not ready to repeat everything again after she had just given her statement to Megure while Shinichi was given a quick check up on the scene and then was loaded into the ambulance.

Heiji saw how she struggled and reigned in his curiosity. The details could wait.

"Hey - it's goin' ta be okay." He put a hand on her knee, hoping it would support her a bit. He wasn't that great at comforting people.

It was enough that Ran's eyes filled up with tears that quickly flew over and ran down her cheeks. "I almost lost him, Heiji," she sobbed, rubbing the heels of her hands against her eyes.

"Shit," he swore and pulled her into a hug.

After a few moments, she calmed down a bit and he rubbed her back a last time. "Come on - I'll bring ya ta Kazuha. I'm sure it will help ya. We'll inform tha nurse where ta find ya when they are done with Kudou."

She took a few shuddering breaths, but nodded and got up, holding onto Heiji's arm.

"He's gonna be okay," he repeated, reassuring her as well as himself.

ooOO-OOoo

Coma.

They said he had slipped into a coma to give his mind the rest it needed to heal and he was already sleeping for one week, nearly two, and still didn't show any signs of waking.

Ran sighed and rested her head on her folded arms on Shinichi's bedside. Sitting at his side made it easier and she had spent almost the whole time here, just leaving him to eat and talk with the police. If she wanted to get some proper sleep herself, she just had to lie down on the bed next to him as everyone had agreed that it was the best for both of them to stay close to each other. Not that Ran would have accepted anything else anyway.

Kazuha had been discharged after a few days and had gone home with Heiji. They both had wanted to stay until Shinichi woke up, but their parents had come to pick them up and hadn't allowed it. After that scare, they wanted their children home for now. Ran had promised to call as soon as something changed.

Speaking of parents. She still hadn't been able to get a hold on Shinichi's parents and her disappointment was slowly but surely turning into anger. She had never understood how they could leave their fifteen-year-old son to begin with, but Shinichi had always been so confident and hadn't seemed troubled by it at all, so she'd let it go eventually.

But now, he had almost died and they didn't even know!

Don't get her wrong - she liked Yusaku and Yukiko. They were nice and funny and interesting, they just weren't - well, good parents. Even though Ran's family wasn't perfect by any means, she at least knew that her father and mother were always there for her and not somewhere overseas and almost never reachable by phone.

The soft click of the door being opened, made her lift her head and turn around, startled out of her thoughts.

As if summoned by her musings, her father was standing in the doorway, looking as if he wasn't sure if he should come in or not.

She hadn't really talked to him yet, so she could guess why he was so awkward around her.

„Hi, Tou-san," she greeted softly. Why should she make it hard for him when she knew that he only had wanted the best for her? They were family and she had enough other things to worry about - getting support from her father would be very nice.

Kogoro scratched his head, still a bit indecisive, but stepped in and closed the door behind him. He crossed the room and pulled a second chair next his daughter's to sit down.

"Still just sleeping?"

She nodded and took Shinichi's hand, softly stroking over his knuckles with her thumb. "But Shiho said that his mind is healing well, he should be fine soon."

Ran could feel it as well. Every time she established her side of their bond to let him know she was there to support him, she got a stronger reaction. First it was just a flicker of consciousness, then the spark of a thought, now a constant if weak flow of images and impressions that sorted themselves back to where they belonged.

With KID's help, she had brought him back together, but the chaos, Pandora had caused needed time to get cleaned up by his own mind, because only he knew what to put where.

"That idiot," she scolded, but without any heat behind her words. "I knew that he was planning something stupid when I left, but I did go anyway."

"It was his decision - he was trying to protect you."

"I know…" Her eyes searched her father's. "You helped him."

It was no accusation or blame in her words, just a bit of surprise.

"Well, he had a good point and I wanted you safe as well."

"You still don't like him?"

Kogoro's heart sunk at the aching sound in her voice. "That's no it. He was a good kid even though a troublemaker, and I've seen him grow up into an upstanding young man, I just…"

Ran smiled at him, placing her free hand on his knee. "You are not losing me to him, you know that, right? He could use a father who is actually around as well. He wouldn't push you away."

He looked to the side. Talks about feelings and stuff just weren't his forte so he just covered Ran's hand with his much bigger own and squeezed it in understanding. "He is still a troublemaker."

Chuckling, Ran looked from her father back to Shinichi. Maybe they could be more of a family soon and maybe, just maybe, she could get her parents to make up as well.

ooOO-OOoo

When Ran came back from lunch, Kamiyama Chisa, the nurse assigned to Shinichi, was at his side, busy with reading his patient file. She looked up when she noticed that she had company and smiled winningly.

"Mouri-san, good to see that you are taking care of yourself. How are you today?"

Ran walked over to the chair that she had by now declared as ‚her' chair and sat down in her usual pose, with Shinichi's fingers between her hands.

"I'm fine, thank you - but tell me KID, do you often visit detectives in hospitals?"

The nurse's smile morphed into an approving grin. "Ooh, Ran-san, I see you've picked up a thing or two from your boyfriend. What gave it away?"

She shrugged. "For one, you are too curious for being Chisa-san, she knows what is written in that file inside out and doesn't have to read it that intently. Aside from that, our minds have met - it's like a signature.

"Ah – I'm getting much too comfortable around you - for me to let that much slip through my shield, Ran-san," he answered with a sheepish laugh, changing into casual clothes with a puff of smoke. That it was his real face was something Ran didn't know yet, but he guessed that they would meet again soon enough. "But at least, our trouble-magnet here seems to be doing well enough, that was all I wanted to check. Let's say, it's not that often that I share mindspace with a detective. Maybe I'm really getting too attached," he mused.

"I'm glad that you came, that way I get the chance to thank you properly," Ran smiled and stood up to face KID, then she bent into a deep bow, offering him her gratitude. "Thank you so much KID. Without you I couldn't have brought him back."

It was seldom to see the thief lost for words, but for a moment he was surprised and a bit embarrassed that the girl was bowing before him. "It's okay, really," he hurried to assure her. "Please, get up, Ran-san."

Ran did, gave him another bright smile and turned back to Shinichi. "I'm sure he'll seek you out sooner enough to thank you as well. Be prepared," she winked and sat back down, gesturing at the second chair for him to sit down. It was nice to have someone to chat with for a while aside from doctors, (actual) nurses and the police.

"You've been involved with the search and the raid, right? Megure-keibu already told me that they had an anonym source of information that helped them find the location, though I think I don't want to know how you managed that."

"Yes – that would be better," he nodded.

She eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, deciding if it was too much to ask. "You said that you've got closure. Does that mean that KID won't announce another heist?"

KID answered her gaze with a small smirk. "I haven't decided yet. After all, I can't let my loyal fans down, now can I?" he grinned. "What would Nakamori-keibu do without my grandiose shows and tricks to keep him on his toes? However - I also can't do a show without one of my favorite detectives, should I decide to make an appearance."

He was waiting for Shinichi, Ran realized with some fondness. Detective and thief had developed a special relationship over the years and the whole takedown must have strengthened that. She wouldn't be surprised if Shinichi would introduce her to a new friend very soon. KID had saved his life and Shinichi tended to stick to people who had his back.

"Come to think of it – how did you manage to get to us so fast? The fire-fighters hadn't finished the make-shift stair yet, so how did you get up there?"

The smirk intensified into something real smug, making him look like a very satisfied cat.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know~"

"Grappling hook…" murmured a tired, raspy voice from the bed. "...gun that shoots grappling hooks."

"Shinichi!"

"Oi! Rude! Rescued detectives don't get to pick apart my awesome tricks."

"Am still right though… uhg-" he tried to prop himself up on one arm to get into a seated position only to find that he hadn't the strength, but was interrupted anyway when Ran gave him an almost bone-crushing hug that left him without enough air to continue bickering with the thief, who chuckled at the display of affection and Shinichi's startled expression.

"Should have seen that one coming, Detective."

"Cut me some slack here – just woke up to find an internationally wanted thief at my bedside," he shot back good-naturedly and still not fully awake. He was more occupied with his lap-full of girlfriend who still clung to him and was leaving a few wet spots on his shoulder.

His arms were encircling her waist and he gently pressed her to his chest, not caring that Kaito was in the room with them. "Ran – I'm so sorry, I-"

"You're an idiot," she mumbled into the thin fabric of his shirt.

"Yes,-"

"You are not allowed to pull such stunts ever again!"

"Understood."

"I was so worried. And angry – but mostly worried. I hate when you have secrets from me. I could have helped you. And you wouldn't have had to take that awful drug. Do you even know how it felt when I couldn't… I couldn't… if not for KID…" she vented all the built up emotions. "You have been asleep for almost two weeks."

He swallowed. Two weeks? While he was grateful that he had woken at all, he hated what Ran had to go through during this time.

"Sorry," he repeated in a whisper, holding her even closer while making eye-contact with Kaito over her shoulder to give him a thankful nod. He didn't remember much of what had happened after Toda had dialed up the spotlight, but he could sense the remains of Kaito's touch in his mind, recognizing them as the thief's after he had helped him before.

Kaito just mirrored his nod and with a flick of the wrist, he produced a single yellow rose that he put on Shinichi's night-stand together with something else, before he turned and left with a wave.

Shinichi looked after him for a moment, sure that this wasn't the last he would see of Kuroba Kaito. His gaze wandered over to the nightstand and the other object, Kaito had left there. It was a tiny red shard - a glittering splinter of what must have been Pandora. He really had destroyed it as he had planned, and Shinichi was glad that this would be the one jewel, KID wouldn't return.

If it became public what Pandora had been able to do, all hell would break loose. All the better that the stone in question no longer existed.

"What about Hattori and Kazuha - are they alright?" he asked, hoping that Kazuha hadn't been harmed.

"They are just fine and already back in Osaka. Their parents dragged them back but they send greetings. I think you should call Hattori before the day ends, so he can brag about how he finally asked Kazuha out."

"He did?"

"Yes, but now hold still, I'm not done hugging you."

He laughed but the twinge of a headache behind his eyes and his heavy eyelids reminded him that he was in a hospital and had only woken up. Not that he liked to be prodded by doctor's but best to get over with the inevitable as quick as possible.

"Um, Ran – don't you think we should let someone know that I'm awake?"

"Don't wanna," she refused, still muffled because her face was now pressed against his neck, apparently content to remain there for a while.

He sighed, but relaxed against his pillow, getting comfortable in their lying position. Sooner or later someone would come anyway to check on him and he could do with some cuddle time as well.


	15. Home

**Chapter fifteen**  
Home  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

"Alright, Ran-san, connect with him and see if anything is different," Shiho instructed her.

She had come in about half an hour after Kaito had left to find them still entwined other bed. A short relieved flicker in her eyes and a brief smile were all the indication she gave that she had been worried about them. After that, she had been all business and proceeded with numerous test and questions.

How long had he been under Pandora's influence?

What did he remember?

What were Ran's impressions when she'd guided him?

They answered as truthful and detailed as possible, without giving away too much about KID. That he had been involved wasn't exactly a secret but Shinichi was sure that he would want to tie up his loose ends himself.

He wouldn't be surprised at all if Nakamori-keibu would receive a package with material about Kuroba Toichi's death and Toda's involvement in it. If need be, Shinichi would testify in court, but he suspected that Toda would never be in a state of mind again were he could answer any questions.

The man had reached for something that hadn't been meant for him, and now he had to pay the price for it. He would spend the rest of his life in the mental ward of Beika General.

A shiver ran down Shinichi's spine as he realized how close he had come to share this fate.

Ran's hand touched his and he smiled at her, as Shiho continued.

"Kudou-kun, try not to do anything. We don't know if this escapade had any lasting effects on you and you could be hurting Ran-san unintentionally."

He paled a bit at that thought and nodded stiffly. Only when he felt the familiar touch of Ran's mind brushing against his did he relax again. It felt the same as ever - bright and loving. He let go of all remaining tension and let her wander around without interfering in any way.

'It's still a bit messy,' Ran half-complained and he laughed.

'I'm working on it. Organizing everything the way it was might take a while though.'

She hummed. 'At least I don't think that anything is missing - or added, just jumbled, and that you need that long to bring your mind back in order is just because you are a detective-geek with way too much stuff up in here.'

'Excuse me? I need all of that - you never know when it might come in handy.'

Another laugh rang through his mindspace. 'You are still the same as ever. I'm so glad - you feel just like before,' Ran added with a gentle nudge.

They both let go of the connection and informed Shiho that yes, he seemed to be just fine and no, he didn't get any additional power.

She tapped something into here shiny, black tablet and pursed her lips in thought. "Well, as far as I can tell, it seems that your irresponsibility saved you this time, Kudou-kun. The reckless usage of Senes-5 must have blocked and therefor protected your senses long enough to prevent any lasting damage. The prolonged phase of unconsciousness was the backlash. Your mind needed time o fix itself."

"So - using the drug didn't harm me in any way?"

Shiho rubbed her temples and gave him a strict gaze. "No, not this time, but don't you think you will get off unscathed should you ever try this again. Seeing that the lower ones don't affect you for long anyway, I would even advise that you don't take any Senes at all ever again. I could be wrong and you could be totally fine with taking them, but if I'm not, you could end up in the mental ward before you even notice that something went wrong. Did I make myself clear?"

Shinichi nodded, swallowing.

"Good, then I'm letting the Inspector in, who is waiting impatiently in front of the door to pelt you with his questions."

She closed her tablet, stood up and left the room with a "See you to our next session, Kudou-kun," that had him wince a bit. Leave it to Shiho to pester him about training when he hadn't even left the hospital bed yet.

Shortly after she left, the door opened again and a tired looking Megure entered. Upon seeing that the young detective was sitting up in bed and was animatedly chatting with his girlfriend, the Inspector let out a relieved sigh. At least some things were going in the right direction.

Shinichi looked up from his playful bantering with Ran, sobering quickly when he saw how drawn the officer looked. "Megure-keibu."

Megure nodded at the two teens. "Kudou-kun, Ran-kun, good to see you are doing better. And just for the record," he inhaled deeply. "What have you been thinking, Kudou-kun?" he shouted, making Shinichi flinch away and seeking shelter behind Ran, who could only agree wholeheartedly. "What is so hard to understand when I said 'No solo actions'? Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?"

Sheepishly and with a good chunk of guilt, Shinichi looked up at the Inspector, gathering his resolve. "I'm sorry, I know I disobeyed orders but even if you now ban me from all future crime scenes - I would do it again."

They stared at each other for a moment, before Megure let out a defeated sigh in sight of so much conviction. "I know, and I understand but please, at least try to follow orders, will you?"

Shinichi grinned, knowing that he was understood and no longer on Megure's bad side. "I will see what I can do," he winked.

Megure just groaned, knowing that this was all he would get from the young detective and decided to bring him up to speed instead of fighting an already lost battle.

"Right, I'm sure you've already heard that Toda-san has been admitted to the mental ward at Beika General. As it is now, he can't be questioned or stand in front of a court of law, so we only have the people he hired to hold responsible."

With a grim nod, Shinichi pulled Ran tighter against his side. That Toda was the main culprit for hurting so many people was still hard to understand for both of them.

"We found enough details of his experiments over the last years to close quite a few cold cases of missing people. I still don't really understand what he means when he mentions 'Pandora' but in his documentations, he writes about different gems he used to replace it, what didn't work at all."

So, Toda really experimented with substitutes. Shinichi shivered when he thought about the poor souls that had suffered or even died because of one man's greed.

"Also, we found a lot of material regarding Kaitou KID and his heists. You don't happen to know more about that?"

Of course, Megure already knew the answer but he had to ask nonetheless. Shinichi wouldn't sell out the thief after he had helped him to rescue Ran, and Megure was content to leave the matter in Nakamori Ginzo's hands, where they belonged.

"No."

"Thought so."

Ran spoke up gingerly, gripping Shinichi's hand a bit harder. "What about the other people you found?"

The rest of her question remained unspoken. Are the alright? Are they dead?

Tiredly, Megure rubbed his forehead. "Well, the ones we found, who were just sleeping like Toyama-san, have been treated here at the hospital and are almost all discharged by now, and some of those who suffered from Guide-Shock are still here, and then…" he faltered.

They had found five dead bodies, and with two men in Guide-shock, the Sentinels from the hospital hadn't been able to create a connection. Their mind where lost forever.

"I understand," Ran said quietly. She had somehow still hoped that Toda hadn't killed anyone, that all the victims would be okay after receiving treatment. She felt grief for their families, friends and partners, who would now learn that the person they had waited for to come home, was gone forever.

Shinichi's strong arms around her were a reminder how lucky she was to still have him. She squeezed his arms and in response; he hugged her even tighter.

Megure noticed that they needed some time alone and left them. He had told them everything important already - everything else could wait for a bit.

Ran turned around in Shinichi's embrace, giving him a pleading look. "Promise me that you won't have secrets from me again. I don't want to learn from Megure that something terrible happened to you because you tried to keep me out of it when I could have helped you. I couldn't live with myself."

"Ran, I-"

"Promise me! I'm sure you wouldn't want me to act like you did, right? Then why do you think it is okay for you to put my life before your own? We are partners, aren't we? We keep each other safe and sane. Please - don't push me away."

Shinichi sighed. What she asked of him was reasonable, but it was just hard for him to stomp down his protective boyfriend-mode when he thought Ran could be in danger, even though he knew that she was more than capable to take care of herself. He would have to work on that.

"Alright - Just don't expect me to change overnight, and I might still jump into the fray if push comes to shove."

She squinted at him. "You still haven't promised."

"I promise," he declared solemnly and then smiled at her.

A chime from Shinichi's phone notified him about a new message. He picked it up from the night-stand and smirked at the picture of a tiny white card, and a few lines of text.

"What do you think Ran, how strange is it that we get customized notes for the heist of an internationally wanted thief along with an invitation for breakfast afterwards?"

Ran laughed. "I would say, tell him thank you and that we will be there, I guess."

ooOO-OOoo

Heiji and Shinichi held to the sidelines as the task force ran around the heist site - a private museum this time. Small, but located on the top floors of a prestigious company in the middle of Tokyo, it had the right flare for KID's last show.

Not that the task force knew about that already. They were going about it like on every previous heist and it was obvious that Kaito had the time of his life, running around them in circles, cackling and throwing bombs with smoke, glitter or glue into the horde of officers and giving Nakamori some special attention this night.

The Inspector's head was already bright red form exertion, but Shinichi noticed that tonight none of the thief's traps included sleeping-gas or ropes were miraculously giving in should Nakamori be the unfortunate victim who triggered them. It seemed that KID wanted Nakamori to make it to the end of the heist. Shinichi even got the impression that the man was enjoying himself, though he was hiding it behind enraged curses and shouts.

Step by step, KID made his way up to the rooftop and the task force had thinned out noticeably by now. Only Nakamori, a few officers and Heiji and Shinichi were still hot on his heels, the girls a floor behind them, keeping their distance but unwilling to part with the boys completely.

Another ecstatic laughter rang through the corridor as the next member of the task force was caught in a net that dropped from the ceiling. Shinichi sidestepped him without even losing momentum and sprinted around the next corner where a spec of white just had disappeared.

Heiji and Nakamori were following close behind him and soon they were the only three pursuers left as they dashed through the door that led outside.

Panting, they came to a stop at the sight of KID standing in the middle of the rooftop, facing them with a broad grin and a graceful bow for them.

"Welcome, Inspector, Detectives. I'm utterly pleased to see that our years of training didn't go to waste and you made it this far."

Nakamori bristled. "Training?! Are you trying to make fun of the police? Just wait - tonight I will lead you out of this building in handcuffs!"

"Now, that won't do, I'm afraid." KID opened his hands apologetically, shaking his head. "After all, I only wanted to give you a proper farewell before I'm going to enjoy my well-earned retirement."

A baffled sound escaped the Inspector. "Retirement? But you- I-..."

Suddenly, Shinichi felt like an intruder, witnessing a personal conversation. Kaitou KID has been Nakamori's task of choice over the last decade. After chasing the first KID, Toichi, he must have felt at a loss when the thief suddenly disappeared. It gave Kaito's choice to hold one last heist a new meaning - he wanted to give closure to his father's friend as well.

And sure enough - with a puff of smoke the binder they had seen in Kaito's kitchen appeared in front of Nakamori.

"I've thought about it for a long time if maybe leaving you in the dark about what happened to my predecessor would be more merciful to you, but you deserve to know the truth after all your dedication to the phantom thief."

"What… what do you mean?" A bit dumbstruck, Nakamori opened the first page and stared at the cut-out about Toichi's death. He looked back up at KID. "I don't understand - are you trying to say that Toichi-kun was…"

KID pulled the rim of his hat deeper into his face, hiding his expression completely. "Read all of it - you might even figure out who is hiding under the disguise now, though I'm sure, you have always known on some mental level. But just like ever, there will be no evidence. My task is done and my purpose fulfilled. The days of Kaitou KID are over and tonight, I will fly under the full-moon's light for a last time."

Nakamori still had a hard time to process everything. Of course he'd had his suspicions about the coincidental time of Toichi's death and KID's disappearance. His friend had been just as great a magician as the thief and so many details fell into place when he followed that string of thought. Missing evidence, apparent proof of his innocence, denial – he had always shoved that possibility away from him. His friend couldn't be a criminal, a thief. But now-

His brain decided to hang up on a detail that he had almost forgotten and was easier to handle for now. Thief. KID's modus operandi had always been to steel and give it back. Except for this time. "What about the 'Vermillion Morning'? You didn't give it back yet."

"I'm afraid that I had a little mishap with that jewel - I broke it. Please give my sincere apologies to the owner," he said with a bow.

"Broke it?" the Inspector exclaimed. "One doesn't just _break_ a jewel. What the hell did you do?"

Shinichi and Heiji had to hold back a grin at Nakamori's exasperation and they didn't envy him that he had to explain the owner why his jewel was the only one in history, KID didn't return.

"What can I say, Inspector - even a phantom thief can slip up. But now I shall take my leave, enjoy my last gift."

And with that, he let himself fall backwards over the edge. His glider unfolded, caught on the wind and soon he was just a small silhouette against the moon, illuminated by an enormous firework.

ooOO-OOoo

Heiji took a sweeping glance over the people in the Café, searching for Kaito. It was still early, so there weren't that many customers yet and the lines at the buffet were short. Enormous lampions hung from the ceiling, and bathed the room in a soft golden light, giving it a cozy atmosphere along with the dark wooden floor and the heavy Mahogany furniture in colonial style.

"Heiji, over there are Kudou-kun and Ran-chan," Kazuha said, tugging at his shirt and waving at them.

When they neared the table, Heiji saw that Kaito and Aoko were already there as well. He introduced them to Kazuha and then pulled out the two remaining chairs to sit down. A waitress came by, took their orders for coffee and tea, and then they were free to fill their plates with the delicious looking food.

Heiji was balancing an enormous amount of fish and rice with a huge grin on his face. "Now that's what I call a great breakfast, no offense Aoko-san," he hurried to add, remembering her fierce temper that wasn't second to Kazuha's.

"None taken," she smiled and sipped at her oolong tea. "You're already making up for it anyway." Her grin was quite satisfied and she gave Kaito a sidelong glance, who was looking at Heiji's plate in disgust and something akin to horror.

"What's up with him?" Heiji asked confused.

"Nothing, nothing - he just can't stand fish, but don't mind him. It is his punishment for leaving me behind and for putting me through the grief of another heist."

"Hey!" Kaito protested. "Firstly, you went after me anyway, and secondly, I couldn't disappoint my fans, now could I?"

"Yes, sure - it was all about your loyal fans and by no means because you wanted to pester my dad one last time. I could tell how giddy you have been to get to play with the task force. At least it is over now - for good. I think any more of that and you might have broken him."

Kaito put one hand on his heart in a dramatic gesture. "Wouldn't dream of it, love."

Shinichi followed their conversation amused. He had been discharged two days before the heist, after they were sure that he had a handle on all his senses again, and he had been glad to return to his everyday-life. What had been a surprise was that Ran's father suddenly showed interest in his opinions and even came by for dinner without complaining the whole night about Shinichi. That as new, but not unpleasant. He even had enjoyed talking about old cases with him. The man could be quite sharp if he wanted to - go figure.

His attention was pulled to Heiji and Kazuha, who were bickering with each other again for whatever reason. He really couldn't make out a difference in their behavior from the way they had behaved before they had declared that they now officially were dating.

In their friend's eyes they had been a couple all along despite their ongoing protest, but seeing Heiji blush when Kazuha gave him a peck on the cheek made him grin behind the rim of his cup. At least now Heiji would have to stop teasing him about being flustered under his girlfriend's attention.

It was nice to meet up with friends - old and new ones - and spend time together. Ekoda wasn't that far and he was sure that Kaito and Aoko would come by quite often and vice versa.

Ran's hand on his thigh made him look at her and he saw the same content happiness he felt as well-

"AAaahh!"

All their heads whipped around to find the source of the scream. A woman was kneeling next to a man, who was lying on his back, foam forming around his mouth.

Ran and Kazuha simultaneously sighed and hung their heads. Why again had they believed that they could enjoy a peaceful breakfast with two murder-magnets in the same room?

Sending a short after the boys, who were already rushing to the crime-scene, Kazuha gave Kaito and Aoko an apologetical smile. "I'm afraid this will happen quite often when we are out together, so ya might as well get used ta it right away."

Kaito just gave her a dumbfounded nod. He had known that Kudou and Hattori got involved in many cases, but seeing it firsthand was something different entirely.

Well, at least his life after hanging up the white mantle wouldn't be boring.

Ran was meanwhile watching how Shinichi fell into his usual behavior and easily gave out orders and instructions. She smiled. He might be a deduction-geek and a self-sacrificing idiot at times, and she wished that being a detective would come with less dangers, but seeing how passionate he was about it, she wouldn't have it any other way.

She sent him a pulse of affection, not wanting to break his concentration with a full connection, and saw how the deep frown on his face lightened up a bit.

She would always have his back and he would have hers.

They were boyfriend and girlfriend - lovers, Sentinel and Guide – destined to be together.

They were each other's home.

ooOO-OOoo  
The End  
ooOO-OOoo

* * *

 **A.N.:**

That's it! You've reached the end of 'Guide you home' and I hope you had a good time reading it.  
I at least am proud to have won my first NaNoWriMo with it and got to share it with you.  
Who knows - maybe I'll write a sequel for it someday because I really like this AU.  
Thank you all for your support and if you enjoy ShinXRan, maybe you might want to check out my other stories.

Take care!


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